I Close My Eyes
by jerbils11
Summary: DRock gets discovered by a big time record label, and they immediately become famous. Derek Venturi now finds himself in a world he never knew, and finding himself missing the one person he never thought he would. Eventual Dasey.
1. Chapter 1: DRock Winterfest

**I Close My Eyes…**

**A/N: This is my new Life With Derek Story. Please let me know what you think of it! R&R, please:D**

**Jacki :)**

**Chapter One: D-Rock Winterfest**

Sir John Sparrow Thompson High School was oddly quiet. All the halls were empty and the lights were off. So, when three young men walked through the halls, as quietly as they could, their steps seemed to echo loudly and sound as if there were many more than three of them. The young man in the middle was carrying a guitar case, the one to his left was also carrying a guitar case, but inside his was a bass guitar. The third young man, to the right of the first one, held drumsticks in his leather-gloved hands.

They walked slowly and quietly through the dark, empty halls, and were searching for the right door. The one in the middle ran a hand through his shaggy brown hair and sighed, he looked to his left, then to his right; he had no idea where he was at. All the halls looked the same when it was dark. The taller one switched his bass guitar to his other hand and pointed to the left, where there was a large door with no windows on it, like the other ones. The first man nodded his head and led the way. He switched his case into his other hand and held out his right hand in front of him, planning to turn the doorknob. His fingers were inches away when a voice made him immediately stop.

"Here a bit early, aren't you?" it was a young woman's voice and the first two guys recognized it immediately; the third was too busy playing a nonexistent beat on imaginary drums with his drumsticks.

The first one groaned, "Casey! What are you doing here?"

They heard footsteps as she walked closer to them, "I'm in charge of the whole thing, remember?" she said, a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"But why are you here so early?" the first one asked.

"Getting the stage ready for you guys!" she let out a sigh, "Seriously, I wonder how you got to be a senior."

"Just let us in there, Casey, we need to practice!"

"Whatever, Derek." She stepped in front of the three and opened the door, leading into the auditorium.

The three boys hurried in after her and ran up to the stage. The shortest of the three hurried over to the drums and touched his sticks gently on one of the cymbals. The taller one and Derek plugged up their guitars to their separate amps. Casey smiled and watched them set up, as she went over to turn the lights on. Derek set up the microphone and tested it quickly, before making sure his guitar was tuned correctly.

"Sam, can you play something real quick, your amp was being difficult last time." Casey asked the taller one with dirty blonde hair, politely.

He nodded and played what would be the chorus of their first song. Casey smiled and nodded as it sounded exactly as it should, "Perfect. Now Ralph, I need you to try out your snare drum, because, remember the last time? It didn't work the way it should have during the last practice."

The shortest one with spiky brown hair nodded and began to play a beat on his snare. After a few minutes he stopped and gave two thumbs up to Casey. She grinned and gave him a thumbs up in return. Derek set down his guitar and jumped off the stage, running over to Casey. His face looked serious, and Casey raised her eyebrows as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Hey, so is that talent scout coming today? For sure?" he asked, in an undertone, so Ralph and Sam wouldn't here him.

Casey smiled, "You mean Christopher O'Neil, from O'Neil records? Yeah, he's coming. That's the whole reason I set this up. Don't you remember?"

"I thought it was just so you could order me around and get all the credit without having to sing or dance." Derek laughed as she made a face, "Thanks, Case."

Casey smiled, "Don't thank me; just show me how good D-Rock can really be." She pushed him back up to the stage.

He grinned and jumped back up onto the platform. He grabbed his guitair and stood in front of the microphone. He looked over at Sam and then Ralph and nodded, "We're gonna run 'The Little Things' first, then see how it goes from there, alright?" The other two nodded.

Ralph counted them down as he hit his drumsticks together, "1, 2, 3, 4!"

All at the same time, the three guys started playing their instruments all in tune to a very interesting sounding beat. Derek took a deep breath and then opened his mouth and began to sing into the mic.

"_You talk too fast, you shop too much_

_You're clothes are name brands, _

_And you're hair's been dyed about twenty times._

_You talk gossip 24/7, and you think you're miss matchmaker. _

_You think doing all the things you do, will impress that guy, _

_When really he doesn't give a care _

_Those are girl worries and problems, to guys they don't matter. _

_It's the little things that make us smile. _

_Like the way your eyes light up, _

_The way your hand fits in ours,_

_The way you seem to fit in the crook of our arms. _

_It's the little things that make it all worth while. _

Casey smiled serenely and swayed along to the beat, listening to the words of the song. A year of taking voice lessons secretly had really paid off. Derek could now be the lead singer of D-Rock, and Casey had to say, his voice was pretty impressive. She adored the song lyrics. She wasn't sure which one of the three had written this one. Of course, she had a pretty good idea that it wasn't Ralph, the last song he had written for the band, had pretty much consisted of four words repeated over and over: Rock and roll babes! Casey snorted; no, this song had definitely not come from that mind.

She watched Sam as he played, his eyes focused on his hands and his body moving to the beat of the song. Then she turned to Derek, who was closing his eyes as he sang the words and played his guitair. He seemed so into the words, and Casey highly doubted that he would be able to get so into a song that Sam had written, especially one that had sentimental value behind it. Derek must have written it. But, it seemed so unlike him. Well, not really, over the past year, he had really matured and had seemed much more willing to let people see the real him. He and Casey didn't fight quite as much, but they still had a friendly argument every now and then to keep things fun.

Truth be told, they rarely ever saw each other. Derek was always practicing with D-Rock and Casey was either over at Emily's, shopping or just hanging out, or practicing her dance with Lucy. They were rarely ever at the house at the same time, and when they were, they were in their separate rooms, doing their own things. Casey was busy studying most of the time, because being a senior; she was trying to do better than ever. Derek was even doing better at school.

Casey shook her head and looked at the clipboard she held in her hands. It has a list of the things she needed to do before the crowd came. She looked at the first item, and realized she had already done it: _Make sure D-Rock gets here on time_. She checked it off and looked at the one below it: _Set chairs up, so people can sit if they prefer. _She set her clipboard down on a nearby table and went searching for chairs, as the familiar tune of _'She said it was over…'_ filled her ears. She grinned as she remembered that day two years ago when she and Derek had danced up on stage to the song. That had been fun, one of the good times when they had gotten along.

She set up the chairs in ten aisles and took a step back, making sure it looked alright. She nodded and then glanced up at the band once more, Derek was screaming into the mic, his face screwed up and his eyes still closed, his hands seemed to be flying over the guitar strings. Sam was dancing around with his guitar and Casey bit back a giggle; he looked so funny. She hurried over and grabbed her clipboard again and looked at the next thing she had written: _Make sure Mr. O'Neil's seat is reserved. _Casey unclipped the papers and pulled the bottom sheet away from the others. She then re-clipped the papers and set the board back down. She hurried to the storage closet to find some tape and put two pieces on the back of the sheet of paper she was holding.

She then ran to the front of all the chairs and picked the one right in the middle and taped the paper to the front of it. _Reserved for Christopher O'Neil._ Casey had typed it up last night and had laminated that morning in the library right before she had met up with the boys. She smiled down at it and hurried back to her list. The nest item was to call Emily and make sure she was bringing the tickets and the safe to keep the money from the tickets in. She pulled out her pink cell phone and quickly dialed her best friend's number, slipping out the door to escape the loud music.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Em!"

"Casey… it's nine-thirty in the morning on a Saturday! What do you want?"

Casey sighed, "Em, do you not remember the D-Rock concert?"

Emily's voice perked up, "Oh yeah! That's today! I got the tickets and the safe right here! I'll be there in a bit!"

Casey grinned as she hung up the phone and walked back into the room, just as the boys were finishing their third song, "Alright, guys, take a break. You need to have all your energy and voice to play the concert today, and you thirty minutes until it starts." Casey said, looking at her watch, surprised at how fast an hour had gone by. She picked up her clipboard and tore off the first sheet, done with all the preparations. She crumpled it up and threw it in the closest trash can. Derek hurried over to her, stuffing his hands into his red jacket.

"So how did you like that first song?" he asked, not making direct eye contact with her.

She smiled up at him, "It was amazing. I really liked it. Who wrote it?"

Derek cleared his throat, "I did, actually."

"I thought so. It was really good. It has to be one of my favorites of D-Rock's songs."

Derek smiled in return, "Thanks, Casey. And, um, thanks for hooking us up with this O'Neil guy. It could really be our big break if he likes us!"

Casey nodded, "So you guys better do good, because if you screw this up, I'm not sure I'll be able to do this again." She laughed, and he chuckled with her.

Sam and Ralph were looking for a water fountain, and Derek and Casey were now left alone in an awkward silence. It was the first time they had been alone in a long time. Derek shuffled his feet and looked up at her.

"Casey, have you thought about where you're going after graduation?" he asked.

Casey was taken aback by his sudden interest in her college life, "I'm not sure, I've had a few offers, but I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do at the moment. It's a big decision. What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure. I mean, one school year of good grades is not going to get me a scholarship, and I've stopped playing hockey, so I can't get a scholarship off that either. I have very limited options at the moment."

"And that's why you're so anxious about this O'Neil guy coming. If you get a record deal and become famous, you won't have to worry about college."

"Something like that." He smiled, but just then, the door burst open and Sam, Ralph, and Emily all burst in, panting, as if they had just been pushed around by a large crowd, a lot of noise coming from the open door.

"D-Rock, get backstage, people are lining up, and I'm about to start letting them in!" Emily cried as she shut the door, muffling the noise.

Casey ran over to Emily at the door as Derek, Sam, and Ralph ran up to the stage and went backstage. Casey gave her best friend a quick hug before dragging a table and two chairs over. Emily dropped into one of them and set up her ticket selling station. Casey stood by the door, getting ready to open it. Emily nodded and Casey took a deep breath. She threw open the door and smiled at the eager crowd, waiting impatiently in front of the door.

"Welcome, to the D-Rock Winterfest Concert! Please stay in a single file line, and buy your tickets at the table right as you walk in! Enjoy!" Casey called, and then backed away to let all the fans in.

Casey glanced up to the stage to see Derek peering anxiously from behind the curtain. She gave him a smile and a quick thumbs up, and he grinned brightly and quickly hid behind the curtains once more.


	2. Chapter 2: Christopher O'Neil

**Chapter Two: Christopher O'Neil**

Casey stood nervously in front of the crowd, getting ready to go onto the stage and announce the band. She was waiting for everyone one to get in and sit down. Emily had been working for a whole fifteen minutes, giving out tickets and taking money. She finally sold the last ticket, and closed the door behind him. She gave Casey a thumbs up, and Casey nodded in return. She hurried up the stage steps and in front of the microphone, looking at all the people who had shown up to see D-Rock.

"Hey everybody! I'm glad you all could make it out here! Now, I won't keep you waiting long for who you cam to see, so, without further ado, here's D-Rock!!" Casey started the applause, then hurried down off the stage and over to Emily.

"So, how are they doing? Did they sound alright this morning?" Emily asked as she shut the safe, putting the key into her pocket.

"They sounded amazing! I think Mr. O'Neil is really going to like them.

"Hey everyone out there! So, are you ready to rock?!" Derek called out into the microphone, getting an answer filled with cheering and yelling.

Ralph counted them out to begin and they began to play 'She said it was over' since it was a crowd favorite. Many people stood up and either sang along or danced, some even did both. Casey smiled as she saw the man in the middle of the front row nod his head to the beat, and smile. Christopher O'Neil wasn't very tall, but he still had a good few inches on Casey, and his large black sunglasses were perched atop his spiky beach blonde hair. Casey tried not to look at him too much, but she ended up watching him more than she watched the band, trying to see if he was enjoying himself.

He seemed to like the band and he was singing along, as he picked up the lyrics. Casey smiled and winked over at Emily, who knew about Mr. O'Neil, and was standing over at her table, sending anxious glances up to the front row. Emily smiled, and continued to watch the three boys on stage. Casey then took that time to look up at Derek, who was singing into the mic as loud as he possibly could. She couldn't help but think about how much he had changed over the past year. She sort of missed hanging out with him, and fighting with him; she then shook her head, she couldn't be missing Derek. She lived in the same house with him. It was crazy to miss her stepbrother when his room was right next to hers. She turned her head to watch Sam and smiled as he strummed the strings, all the while moving his head to the music. She glanced over at Ralph and held back a laugh, as he made a 'rock and roll' face as he continued to pound his drums.

The concert went on for a good hour and a half, and the grand finale song was Derek's song, Casey's favorite: 'The Little Things'. All of the crowd were dancing to the beat and thoroughly enjoying themselves. Casey even caught Mr. O'Neil dancing as well. It seemed D-Rock was a hit! Casey could not have been more excited, she knew that if Mr. O'Neil liked the band enough, they would be able to get a record deal, and maybe even become famous. It was an exciting thought. Emily ran over to Casey and smiled.

"The concert's going great, how does that record deal guy like it?" she asked in Casey's ear, glancing over at the front door, trying to find him.

"He seems to be having a great time. I'm so excited!" Casey ginned, then turned back to look at the band.

Soon, the concert ended, and as the band said goodbye, Casey went up onto the stage and held the microphone in her hands, as she had done two years ago, when she had been the lead singer of D-Rock. She cleared her throat, and directed the crowd's attention to herself.

"Thank you all for coming this morning. I hope you enjoyed D-Rock! And have a good day!" she said, and waved to everyone as they stood up and made their way out.

Christopher stuck around and as soon as everyone left the room, Casey hurried down off the stage and hurried toward him. She smiled brightly at him and he returned it with a chilled grin.

"So, how did you like the concert?" she asked, glancing back up to the stage, waiting for Derek, Sam, and Ralph to come back out.

"It was awesome, I loved it!" Christopher looked up to the stage as well.

Casey clasped her hands together in front of her chest and smiled, "That's great news!"

At that moment, the band members came back out and hopped off the stage, "What's great news?" Sam asked looking from Casey to Christopher and back to Casey again.

Christopher turned to the three guys, "You three were awesome. I enjoyed every minute of the concert. I especially loved that last song. It was meaningful, yet it still had that rock air about it."

"Thanks!" Derek said, a proud grin lighting up his face.

Emily was watching from her table where she was locking up the safe again, and then hurried over to the group. Casey smiled at her, and then turned back to the four men. Christopher took a deep breath and grinned at the other three.

"How would you like it, if D-Rock got an appointment at O'Neil Records, tomorrow morning? Maybe discuss a record label?"

Derek was speechless, and Ralph made an excited noise, Sam grinned, "Of course, that would be amazing, thank you Mr. O'Neil!"

"Call me Chris! See you tomorrow, eight' o'clock sharp! Be there!" he pointed at the band members, then he hurried out, slipping his sunglasses over his eyes as he left.

Derek, Sam, and Ralph all high-fived each other, and Emily squealed as she clutched Casey's arm. Casey smiled brightly and watched as the three boys celebrated. Derek looked up from his excitement and shot Casey a grateful smile, and mouthed the words: 'Thank you'. Casey nodded and her smiled brightened. Tomorrow would be a very big day for D-Rock, and she was glad that she had played her part in it.


	3. Chapter 3: O'Neil Records

**Chapter Three: O'Neil Records **

Derek sat idly on a large, comfortable black leather chair. Beside him sat Sam and Ralph in their own leather seats. They were sitting in a very elegantly furnished room in a very large building called: O'Neil. Casey had woken Derek up in a flurry of excitement earlier that morning reminding him that he had to pick up Sam and Ralph on the way. He had hurriedly got dressed and had barely gotten into the building with the other two before it turned eight 'o' clock. They were told by the blonde woman at the front desk that Mr. O'Neil would be with them shortly, and that they should wait upstairs in his office.

So, that was where they were, in the office of the guy who could make them famous. Derek glanced over at his two best friends and grinned; all their hard work was finally paying off. Ralph was nervously tapping his drumsticks on his knees as he banged his head to a beat only he could hear. Sam was just sitting there, staring around at everything, taking it all in. Derek took a deep breath and ran his hand through his recently cut hair. It wasn't really short, but it definitely wasn't as long as it had been his junior year. He then stuffed his hands into the pocket of the green jacket he was wearing, and leaned his head back into the chair.

After a few more minutes of silence, the three boys jumped at the sound of the door opening, and they immediately sat up straight. Christopher walked into the room, followed by two men. One man was tall and had dark skin and a close-shaved head. The other was short and scrawny, with straw-colored hair. Christopher clapped his hands and held his arms out wide towards the three boys as he walked over to them.

"So how are our future rock stars?" he asked, excitedly and shook each guys hand before he turned back to his two associates, "Boys, meet Jerry and Frank." He pointed to the taller, darker one when he said Jerry, and to the other one when he said Frank, "These two are my, well, they're what you would call 'go-to guys'. They help me decide whether or not the next big star is really who I think it is. They're basically my second opinion."

Derek looked up at the three men who would be deciding his fate in a musical career, and smiled, thinking there were only two possible outcomes; either they became famous, or they stayed a 'garage band'. Derek took a deep breath and watched as Christopher, Jerry and Frank sat down in the seats opposite them.

"I actually never caught your names yesterday…" Christopher stated, looking at the three of them in turns.

"Well, I'm Derek, he's Sam, and he's Ralph." Derek said, pointing to his two best friends in order.

"Derek, Sam, and Ralph. Got it! So, how long have you three been playing together?"

Sam cleared his throat, "Well, we had the idea of a band back in our freshman year, but it took us until we were sophomores to get the band together. Our first real gig was at our school's Battle of the Bands. Of course Derek wasn't our lead singer then…"

"Then who was?" Jerry asked, scooting to the edge of his seat.

Derek looked over at him, "My step-sister, Casey. I believe she's the one who talked to Chris about coming to the Winterfest." He turned to Christopher to clarify the statement.

"Yes, Casey McDonald, a very high-spirited, stubborn girl. She called several times until she got to speak with me personally. And I'm very glad she did. You see, I don't go to high school performances very often. It's a very rare case when I do. Your step-sister seemed to really think you three to could make it big. And she was right."

The three looked at each other and grinned, "Thanks, Chris!" Sam choked out as he cleared his throat again.

"Don't thank me just yet, Sam. I haven't given you a record deal. Once that happens, then, by all means, thank me!" Christopher laughed, "Now, Casey is no longer your lead singer?"

"No, sir, it was just sort of a one time deal. I became the lead singer, of course I took some classes, and with time, I grew better at it, and Casey sort of appointed herself our manager."

"Well, she just lost her job; your manager is now O'Neil Records!" The three boys laughed as Christopher smiled at them, "Before you get too excited we have to talk about image. Image is everything in the music world. Or well, in the advertising part of the music world. I like the rocker high-schooler look you three had going on yesterday, so I think we should keep that. After all, you three are still seniors, am I correct?"

They nodded, "Good. Good. Now, would you three be at all upset at being taken out of school for tours?"

Derek laughed, "You're kidding right? Of course we wouldn't mind!"

Christopher smiled, "Well, education is very important at O'Neil Records, so, you three will all have personal tutors on the road. Is that all right?"

"That's fine with me," Sam shrugged as Ralph got this weird look on his face and nodded.

"They won't be uptight keeners, will they?" Derek asked, looking unsure.

"We will find three very intelligent people who don't mind dealing with rock stars. None of our tutors are what you call 'keeners'." Christopher laughed, "Jerry here is actually sometimes a tutor on tours. Believe it or not, he graduated first in his class, and was valedictorian."

The three boys looked at Jerry, impressed. Jerry laughed, "I get that look a lot." His voice was deep and intimidating.

"Now, boys. What do you want your first single to be?"

Sam looked over at Derek, "That one you wrote, it's our best one."

Ralph looked offended as he looked over at the two of them, "What about that one I wrote?!"

Derek sighed, "Ralph, again, we're not singing a song that repeats hot rock and roll babes over and over." Ralph folded his arms and scowled as Derek turned back to the three men, "The last song we sang yesterday, _The Little Things_, we'd like that one to be our single."

"A very good choice. It's got all the meaning and feeling as a slow song, but all the character and sound of a rock song. A very, very good choice."

Sam looked pointedly at Ralph, who scoffed and turned his head. Christopher laughed again, "Now, when will you three be ready for recording?"

"Whenever you're ready for us!" Derek said, eagerly.

"Well, then how about this Saturday, say… eleven AM?"

"Sounds perfect!" Derek said, and Sam and Ralph nodded, excitedly.

"Alright. We're in business! See you Saturday, boys!" The three boys excitedly stood up, and shook the three men's hands.

They shouted out thank you's and let out excited noises as they left the room. They waved excitedly at the blonde woman at the front desk as they left the building in a hurry, and she just stared after them, wondering why all the clients O'Neil brought in were getting younger and younger. Derek found his car in the parking garage and they hurried over to it. Ralph opened his door and stood up on the ledge.

"Dudes! We're gonna be famous!" he shouted, making an echo in the large space.

Same and Derek grinned; Sam looked over at Derek, "We owe Casey, big time!"

Derek nodded, but Ralph stated loudly, "Who needs Casey?! She was never a good rocker chick. We're gonna meet TONS of hot babes on tour! Seriously! Forget Casey!"

Derek opened his mouth to reply, his eyes narrowed, but then he laughed and nodded, "Yeah, get in the car Ralph."

And with that, they left the place, and headed back home. Ralph was dropped off first, and as soon as they drove away, Sam looked over at his best friend, "You don't really agree with him, about Casey, do you? I mean, Casey's the only reason we got this opportunity."

Derek shook his head, "You know how Ralph is. He thinks all girls should wear skimpy clothing, or they're not worth any of your time. The fact that Casey is the complete opposite of his expectations makes him not like her."

Sam nodded, "You are thankful though, right. I mean, she went through hours of phone conversations, trying to get us this. You can't just pretend like it was a small favor."

"I realize this, Sam! Now, can we quit talking about Casey!?" he said, impatiently as they turned into Sam's driveway.

Sam nodded, "Yeah, sure dude."

Derek, sighed, "Thanks man. I'll see you later."

Sam got out of the car and leaned down to see him, "Yeah, see ya later." He grinned then shut the door and hurried into his house.

Derek backed out of the driveway, trying not to think about what Sam had said about Casey. Because thinking about that, made him think about Casey. And thinking about Casey was not something Derek wanted to do. Especially since she had been on his mind the most when he was writing _The Little Things_. He didn't mean to think about her. It just sort of happened. And now she popped into his head at the most random times. He was getting quite tired of it.

After trying, but failing, to push out all thoughts of Casey with other thoughts, he turned on his radio, and turned it up loud. He thought of how soon his band would be playing on the radio in a not-too-distant future. He was finally perfectly distracted, until he pulled up into his house. He knew Casey would be in there, expecting to know how it went. He took a deep breath and shut off the car. He slowly got out and walked up to the door, knowing he was about to be bombarded with questions, he remembered the god news Christopher had told him, and smile spread across his face.

He opened the door and looked over to his left. There was Casey, sitting on the couch, looking anxiously at the door. She immediately sprang up and hurried over to him, a huge smile on her face. She waited eagerly as he took off his jacket and slowly looked over at her, making her wait.

"So… how'd it go??" she asked, clutching his arm, grinning impatiently.

Derek smirked at her and wrestled his arm out of her grip. He casually walked over to his chair, keeping the same smug smirk on his face, knowing it was torturing her.

"Derek! What happened?!" she cried, hurrying back over to the couch, and sitting down, staring at him.

He chuckled, "Well, you lost your job as our manager."

Casey's jaw dropped, "Why? Because the meeting tanked, and you think it's all my fault for setting you up with him?"

"No… because we have a new, professional manager, named O'Neil Records."

Casey squealed in joy and Derek flinched, "Oh my gosh, I knew it! I knew you guys would make it! I just _knew_ it!!"

Derek laughed, "You sure seemed anxious for someone who _knew_ it!"

She slapped his arm, "Oh, shut up! So what's your first single? When do you start recording? Are you going to go on tour?" She asked all in one breath.

"Slow down…" he put his hands up in front of him in surrender, "We start recording this Saturday at eleven. And our first single is _The Little Things_. Ralph didn't like that idea, but Sam and I agreed, and Chris thought it was a perfect choice."

"Brilliant. That has got to be your best song! Do you guys get to go on tour or anything?"

"Well, we don't know when. But we discussed personal tutors so we don't have to worry about missing school…"

Casey's face immediately fell, "Oh, that's right. You can't stay at school when you go on tour…"

"Or home! It's gonna be sweet!"

She nodded, and forced a smile, "Yeah, great! I mean, I'll be the oldest and have free reign. My dreams are coming true!"

Derek looked over at her; usually it really would be her dream come true to have him out of the house for long periods of time. She kept a smile on her face, but he had seen her face fall. He looked away quickly, trying not to read too much into it. She was probably just jealous that she wasn't the lead singer for D-Rock anymore, or she would be getting the attention and opportunities. He stood up and glanced over at her.

"I'm gonna go tell Dad and Nora."

She nodded, looking absentminded. As soon as he was out of the room, she hurried up into Lizzie's room. There was her little sister, lying on her bed, reading a book. Casey plopped onto Lizzie's desk chair and sighed.

"Liz! I need help!"

Lizzie looked up from her book and sat up, "What's wrong Case?"

Casey reached out and shut the door, then she rolled the chair over closer to her sister, "Liz, I think I'm starting to... well, I think I might actually… um… I don't know!"

"Case, just spit it out!"

"I think I'm going to miss Derek when he goes on tour!" she yelled out, looking surprised at herself.

Her expression was mimicked in her little sister's face, "What?! You're going to _miss_ Derek?!" Lizzie knew about Derek and the gig, and knew that if Casey said something about a tour, that he had nailed it.

Casey nodded and her eyes grew wide with fear, "Oh my gosh, I've finally gone crazy! I mean, I can't miss Derek. I've hated t5he jerk for years! I can't just all of a sudden think I'm going to miss him. He's not even gone yet! Yeah, it's impossible. Maybe I'm just jealous. Maybe I subconsciously want to still be the lead singer of D-Rock, so I that I can be famous too. Yeah, that's it!"

Lizzie smiled as she watched Casey freak out, then calm herself into an answer, "Thanks for the talk, Liz. It… it really helped…" and with that she left the room, walking into her own.

Lizzie grinned after her sister, "I knew this would happen someday." She hopped off her bed and went to go find Edwin.

She finally found him in the living room, crouching behind the large armchair. She grabbed his arm and pulled him up, "Ed… what are you doing?"

"Spying." He said with a shrug.

Lizzie shrugged back and pushed him into the chair that he was seconds before hiding behind, "Listen, it's happening. Casey thinks she's going to miss Derek when he goes on tours."

Edwin smiled, "And by the way Derek was looking at her today when he got home, it looks like he's gonna miss her too."

"It looks like our research was once again correct, Dr. Edwin." Lizzie said, laughing.

Edwin grinned, "Like I said, the numbers never lie!" He pulled out a notebook from behind the chair and Lizzie slid into next to him, so they could both read it and mark stuff in it. Lizzie was sitting on top of one of Edwin's thighs, and her hair was hanging right by his ear. She leaned over him and wrote something on the page across from her, and he sprang up, causing Lizzie to fall into the now-empty space of the chair, and the notebook to fall to the ground. She looked up at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"What?"

He shrugged, "Nothing. Nothing at all, just felt overcrowded that's all. Um, I'll see ya around…" and without another word, he took off upstairs.

Lizzie stared after him, confused. But then she sat up and rubbed her now red cheek, and picked up the notebook. She quickly erased the long pencil line that Edwin had made her mark during his freaky spaz attack. She then wrote what she had tried to the first time; she then closed the notebook, held it close to her chest, and went upstairs into her room.

---------

Derek stood in the kitchen, making a sandwich and singing in an undertone. He had told his parents about the meeting with O'Neil and they were very excited and proud. Now all he had to do was wait until Saturday, and then his music career would skyrocket. But there was something that kept tugging at him, as he covered the contents of his sandwich with mayonnaise, the look on Casey's face when she realized that he would be gone, gone, when he went away for tours. He tried to tell himself, it was jealousy in her eyes, but he just couldn't help but think that it was something more.

---------

Casey had her radio up loud. She tended to do that when she exercised. She tended to exercise when her mind and her heart were mixed up, and today they definitely were. She had sat for two hours, waiting for Derek to get home, she had been so excited to hear his news, and then when it had finally hit her how much time he would spend being away from the house, it effected her. It affected her in a way she didn't think possible. Like she had told Lizzie, she was trying to convince herself it was just jealousy, and whatever else the actual feeling was, there was some jealousy in it. She just wasn't completely jealous. At first she was totally and completely excited for them. And now, well, now she didn't know what to think. Or feel for that matter.

As she kicked her leg up high so it was vertically parallel with her torso, she pushed all thoughts of Derek and D-Rock out of her mind. She put her leg down and began dancing. She was moving her body to the music and for a moment, for one blissful moment, she was free of any and all thought of Derek and his band. She was just Casey, dancing. It was just her and the music. And then his voice interrupted her… just being.

"We discussed personal tutors so we don't have to worry about missing school… we discussed personal tutors so we don't have to worry about missing school… we discussed personal tutors so we don't have to worry about missing school…" Personal tutors? Knowing Derek's luck, it would probably be some hot exotic woman who had an amazing accent. Casey shuddered at the thought, and then shuddered at what the last shudder meant.

Stupid feelings. Why did Derek have to be so freaking good at his music?!


	4. Chapter 4: High School Celebrities

**A/N: So, my family and I are getting away from our Florida home for a little bit, to enjoy the (hopefully) snowy state of Tennessee, it's only three days, but it means no writing! So, I hope this chapter will work for now. And I promise to start writing within the hour I get back. Or atleast within the day. :D Thanks to all of my faithful and patient readers. I love you guys!!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Four: High School Celebrities**

The week flew by fast for D-Rock. Of course, their new social status at school helped the time go by. The Monday after the meeting with Christopher, the rumor had somehow got out to almost everyone at school that D-Rock was going to get a record deal, and they were ecstatic. They crowded around the three when they first walked in the doors, and Casey, who happened to have been walking in with them, was pushed to the outside of the crowd. She just smiled and hurried over to find Emily, laughing at all the noise coming from the D-Rock huddle.

Emily was at her locker, watching all the excitement from afar, "I guess the word got out, huh?"

Casey smiled and glanced back over there, "Yeah. I had no idea that it would get out this fast. But I don't think they mind very much. I mean, now they're high school celebrities."

"At least not _every_one is that excited, I'm sure we'll be able to get two words in edgewise to other people about things besides D-Rock."

Casey laughed as another group of giggling girls hurried over to the already large crowd, their annoyed boyfriends following slowly, "I wouldn't count on that, Em."

Emily grinned and grabbed her books out of her locker, "Come on, let's go to class."

Casey looked back at the group one last time and saw Derek's head poking over all the others looking over at her and Emily. They both waved and smiled, and then turned around and walked away. Soon, the noise died away and they were walking through near-empty halls.

----------

Casey had walked home from school. Derek was supposed to be her ride along with Lizzie and Edwin, who were now in Grade Ten, but she couldn't find him amongst all the craziness that happened after the bell rang, that she decided it would be much easier just to walk. She got home, and the door was locked, no one else was home, so she pulled her key out of her back pocket, and opened the door. She went into the kitchen to find something to eat.

They needed to go shopping, that much was obvious. But Casey's stomach was growling; she hadn't eaten lunch that day, because the giggling girls and sullen boyfriends had crowded around D-Rock in the lunchroom, and she hadn't been able to get any food. She didn't mind, she was happy for Sam, Derek and Ralph, they had worked hard, and they deserved some attention. But now she was feeling the results of her skipped lunch. She pulled together everything she could find, and made herself a little makeshift snack.

Just as she was bringing her food into the living room to watch some T.V while she ate, the door opened and a burst of loud noise interrupted her silence.

"Girls! Go home now! See you tomorrow!" Derek cried, and shut the door quickly, and bolted it, as Edwin and Lizzie hurried up stairs, saying something about homework. Derek looked over and saw Casey lounging on the couch, "Where were you?!"

She looked up, confused, "What do you mean?"

"I was supposed to bring you home, and I couldn't find you anywhere!"

"I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. I couldn't find you due to all the madness, and I thought it'd be a lot easier just to walk home."

"And you couldn't tell me this?"

"Derek, I just said I couldn't _find_ you, or else, I would have ridden in the car home with you!"

Derek stared at her for a moment, but then shook his head and sank down into his chair and sighed.

"You had a crazy day today." She offered him some of her food and he gladly stuffed his face with it, "I'm guessing you didn't get to eat either."

He shook his head, "No! Those people wouldn't listen. Sam and me tried to tell them that we wanted to eat, but they just didn't listen, they wanted to hear all about the meeting and all about Chris. And they wanted to hear all about everything!"

"That's what happens, Derek, when you get a record deal, you become famous. I thought you'd like it."

"I do, I do. I just wanted some space that's all."

Casey chewed silently, then turned to him, "Just wait until you get known all over the country! You're gonna be surrounded by fans _all_ the time!"

Derek's face paled for a second, and then he grinned and looked excited so fast, Casey wondered if she had imagined it, "Sweet! That'll be so cool!"

Casey shook her head and smiled. She grabbed the remote and turned on the T.V, trying to find something they would both like to watch. They finally settled on a movie that was playing on T.V, and they shared Casey's makeshift snack. When their parents got home with Marti, they were laughing at the movie together and scraping up the last of the food. Marti ran over and sat on Derek's lap, giving him a hug.

"Smerek! Daddy and Nora told me you're gonna be famous!"

Derek laughed, and put his forehead to hers, "That's right Smarti, you're gonna have a famous brother!"

"Can I go to one of your concerts?!"

He laughed again, "No, you're to little, Smarti."

"I'm almost nine!"

"When you're sixteen, then you can go to a concert."

"Smerek!!"

George pulled Marti off of Derek, "He's right Marti, you have to be as old as Edwin to go a concert."

"So Lizzie can't go to a concert either?" Marti asked, looking up at her father.

"Lizzie will be sixteen soon, Marti, so by the time Derek has a concert, she can go to it."

"And Casey can go?"

George nodded. Nora said something about starting dinner and walked into the kitchen. Casey looked guiltily down at the empty bowl of food, which had held the rest of the edible food. She hurried after her mom, carrying the bowl, ready to tell her that they need to go shopping. Derek looked over at Marti who was pouting.

"What's wrong?"

"Everyone can go to your concert, except me, because I'm the youngest!"

"Tell ya what, Smarti, if you promise you'll be good for Dad and Nora while I'm away at my concerts, then I will bring you back a tape of one of them."

Marti's face lit up, "A tape just for me?"

Derek grinned, "Just for you!"

Marti gave him a big hug then ran upstairs to do her own homework.

----------

They had ordered pizza for dinner, and now Casey lay on her bed, stomach full and eyes closed. She knew she had some homework she should be doing, but she just couldn't bring herself to move off the comfortable bed. She heard Derek's radio through the wall that separated their rooms, and she heard Marti over in her room playing with all her

'friends'. Casey smiled as she remembered the time that Marti had brought all her 'friends' into her bed, and it had caused her to fall off.

The music in Derek's room stopped abruptly, and Casey heard a knock on her door. She was feeling too lazy to get off her bed and open it, so she called out, "Come in!" and kept her eyes closed.

She listened as the person walked into her room. She heard loud breathing and opened her eyes just so she could look through her eyelashes. She saw Derek pacing from her desk to her wall.

"What's up Derek?"

He stopped pacing and looked over at her, his face looked worried. She opened her eyes and sat up straight, watching his face carefully. He stared straight into her eyes, and took a deep breath.

"Case, I'm not ready to be famous." He said, his voice rough and low.

Casey smiled kindly, "Derek, you were _born _to be famous. You look so at home on that stage. Trust me, once you go on tour, and you've done it a couple of times, you're going to love it. You won't even think about your old life. You'll be so absorbed in your new life. It'll be great!" she forced a smile and leaned back on her hands.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "That's what I'm worried about…" he said it so quietly, Casey wasn't sure she had heard him right.

"Derek? I thought this was what you wanted…?"

"It was… It is… You know what? You're right. This is gonna be great!" He put on a large smile, and walked out of the room.

Casey stared after him; wondering if she had made things better or worse.

-------

If Casey had thought the groupies at school were amusing on Monday, she sure as heck didn't think so on Thursday. She could never find Derek when she needed him, she was late to ALL of her classes, and she could barely hear herself think whenever she wasn't in class. It was all just getting too annoying, and she found herself wishing for the day when D-Rock was on tour, and she could have the hallways free again. She then realized what D-Rock being gone meant, and shook her head before missing Derek came up again.

It was the same battle everyday. She wanted to groupies to stop, but in order for the groupies to stop, D-Rock had to leave. And if D-Rock left, Derek would leave, and then Casey would miss Derek. And that was where her train of thought ended. She didn't want to think any further. It was bad enough the groupies' thoughts were running through her head, she didn't need thoughts of Derek in there as well.

She stuffed her books into her locker after the last bell rang, and miraculously saw Derek coming out of the men's room, by himself. She hurried over to him and grabbed his arm, "Let's leave. Now. You go out to the car. I'll get Ed and Liz."

Derek looked taken aback, but nodded, and headed out to the parking lot. Casey sighed and looked around, hoping that the groupies were not hiding somewhere, waiting to pounce once Derek was truly alone. She then hurried to find her younger siblings, and get them out before the D-Rock fanatics figured out that one of the members weren't there, and go looking for him. She finally found them by their lockers, abnormally quiet. She hurried them along and led them out to the car. She practically shoved them into the back seat, and jumped into the passenger seat, urging Derek to drive.

"Case, what's with you?" Derek asked, half-laughing, as he steered them out of the parking lot.

"I'd just rather not have to wait half an hour before I can get a ride home. And if we had waited a little bit longer, your fan club would have found you, and we would have never gotten out!" She said, rushed, and slightly out of breath.

Derek's grin disappeared, and if Lizzie and Edwin had been talking in the back, they weren't now, "I never asked for a fan club, Casey."

"No, but you got one anyway, huh?" She asked bitterly, as if it were his fault the groupies somehow reminded her about how she would miss him.

His eyebrows were closer to his eyes, "I'm sorry that my dream is ruining your world. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal, seeming how inviting that O'Neil guy was _your_i dea! Maybe… Maybe you're just _jealous_!" he cried.

Yes, there was an unusual lack of sound coming from the back seat now. Casey was insulted and hurt that Derek would think that she was capable of feeling that, and she didn't try to hide it. Derek looked over at her face, and instantly his own softened.

"Case, I- I didn't mean it like that... Come on." He took one hand off the wheel, and they swerved a bit, so he put it back.

Now she was the one being abnormally quiet. She just folded her arms over her chest, and stared ahead, trying to hide the tears in her eyes, but failing miserably. Derek was silent the rest of the ride as well. It was a very awkward ride. No sooner than the second Derek turned off the car, was Casey out of it and running into the house, and up to her room. Lizzie shook her head, gave Derek a look, and ran after her. Edwin got out just as Derek did. He gave him a piteous look and shook his head slowly, as if he felt sorry for his lack of knowledge about girls. He put his hand on his shoulder, then walked away.

"Hey!" He called after the three who had left him all alone in the driveway, "How come everyone always thinks it's my fault when Casey gets upset?" he asked the question, pretending not to know the answer.

But he did know the answer. Everyone thought it, because it was true.

It was always his fault when Casey got upset.


	5. Chapter 5: The GoodBye

**A/N: I got back yesterday, unexpectedly we got back much later than we thought. But I wrote this for you guys and I hope you enjoy it! And thanks to all of you who wished me a good time on my trip, it was very fun!! Thanks for all the support! R&R, please!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Five: The Good-bye**

Derek had a set of headphones on his head, as he sang into the microphone in front of him. In the headphones he was listening to his guitar, Sam's bass, and Ralph's drums, playing _The Little Things_. They had just before recorded the song with just the instruments, and now Derek had to do the vocals, so he listened to the music and sang into the mic, hoping his voice sounded right, and hoping he made it sound exactly like it had a the Winterfest concert. He looked up through the glass window, and saw Christopher watching him, Sam and Ralph standing impatiently behind him. Christopher gave him the thumbs up and Derek nodded as he continued to sing. As he sang the words he knew by heart, he thought back to the morning before.

Derek had had to wake up on his own this morning, there was no Casey waking him up, and being excited. In fact, Derek hadn't seen Casey smile since he had made her run into the house on Thursday afternoon. She didn't look him in the eye, she didn't say a word to him, she didn't even mention to George or Nora. When the topic of D-Rock came up, she spoke only of Sam and Ralph, and left out the fact that Derek was their lead singer. When Derek had woken up, he wanted to be excited for recording, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. He had accused Casey of being jealous all because she had been annoyed at the groupies. He had been annoyed at them too. He didn't know why he had accused her of being jealous. He just wanted the topic to be changed. Well, it had changed all right, onto silence.

Derek had bid his parents goodbye, and Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti had all wished him luck. Casey had been no where in sight. She hadn't even come down the stairs. So he left. Derek had picked Sam and Ralph up in a grim silence. They were excited, and they showed it. They talked to Derek about being famous and going on tour and all the groupies and girls, and he just listened. He didn't say anything, he kept his eyes on the road and clenched his jaw.

So now, recording the song that Casey had said was her favorite, made him feel like a jerk all over again. He finished the song and walked out of the room and into the sound booth, where the three were eagerly waiting for him. They were all smiling brightly, and they were bouncing on the balls of their feet, as if they had some news to give him.

"What?" he asked, impatiently, he didn't even want to be here anymore.

"Derek, you three are going on tour, Monday!"

Sam and Ralph's grins exploded, knowing that Derek would be excited. Instead, Derek just stared at him, "Monday? We just now recorded our first song. How do we already have a tour?"

"Well, you see, I have a few connections in the music world, and I pulled some strings, and talked to a few people. My friend over in Toronto said that there are several people that go to concerts to see the new bands, and if they enjoy it, they tell everyone, and so those people that they tell go and see the concert, and they tell _their_ friends. It's a never-ending cycle, you see."

Derek did see. He saw that he would be leaving the day after tomorrow, with Casey ignoring him and the rest of his family incredibly excited that he would be famous. He nodded, to show Christopher that he understood, and forced a grin on his face. If this was what he wanted, then why in the world did he feel like he didn't deserve it? He shook hands with Christopher and the sound guys, and they discussed how the plans would go for the tour. Ralph was closest to the studio, so the tour bus would pick him up first at six in the morning, then Sam, and Derek last. After that, they would go straight to Toronto and rent a hotel room. Then, they would spend all day Monday, getting ready, doing sound checks, putting together wardrobe, and all of that stuff.

D-Rock left the studio a real band, but Derek left the studio a real mess. He knew that he needed to make things right before he left, but he didn't know what to do. He wanted her to be proud of him, excited for him again. He didn't like not talking to her, thought a year ago he would have liked nothing more. But, over that year they had become friends and they actually got along and acted like civilized people around each other. And now, Derek knocked all their progress back down to when they first met. He felt like smacking himself on the head. He talked to Sam and Ralph, telling them that he was excited and letting them know that it was going to be great, but all the while thinking up a way to show Casey that he hadn't meant what he said.

As he pulled into his own driveway after dropping his friends off, he went into the house, not having any more of a plan then he had had when he left the studio.

--------

Casey lay on her bed, a notebook in front of her, a pen held between two fingers. She continually flicked the pad with the pen, making a rhythm. It sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember what it was or when she had heard it, but she knew she liked it. Finally she realized that it was the tune to D-Rock's _The Little Things_. She quickly stopped the tapping and tossed the pen down on the bed. She was trying to write poetry, but all she could hear in her head was D-Rock songs. A few times she had written words from their songs on her paper. That was why several crumpled balls were laying at the foot of her bed where she had tossed them.

She lay her head down on her arms and slid the notebook off the bed; it was pointless. She closed her eyes and decided to take a nap. She had eaten a small lunch, but she felt like she had eaten too much. Just as she was settling into a peaceful half-sleep state, there was a knock on the door. She tried to ignore it, but whoever it was, was persistent. She wanted to shout out to go away, but instead she just closed her eyes, and moved her head so it was positioned more comfortably on her arms. The knocking continued for a little bit, and Casey finally grew used to it, and ignored it. When it stopped, she jerked, she had grown accustomed to it, and it seemed sad that it wasn't there anymore.

She rolled over, her back now facing the door and snuggled into her blankets, now having to get used to the silence. Before she could even close her eyes, though, her door opened, and whomever it was who had been knocking had come in, and shut the door behind them. She didn't want to roll over and greet who it was, but she did, very reluctantly, and looked up. It was Derek. She made a noise and rolled back over, trying to ignore the guilt-ridden face he had made when he looked at her.

"Casey, Nora and Lizzie told me that you barely ate anything at lunch, and that you didn't even eat breakfast."

Casey silently hated her mother and sister for telling Derek things that would make him feel guilty. She didn't say anything but just dug her face into a square of her blanket.

"I know you're mad at me, Case. And you have every right to be. But I didn't mean what I said. I know you're not jealous, and I know that you only invited Christopher because you are proud of D-Rock and want the best for us. And I'm really happy that you feel that way. But, everything we worked for this year, I just ruined. We had finally gotten to be friends, well I thought we were friends, and then I go and ruin. Maybe being famous is going to my head, and I'm not even really famous yet. Maybe this is a bad idea…"

Casey couldn't see him, but she knew that he meant what he said, by the tone of his voice, and it made her feel like she had been overreacting. But she wasn't ready to get close to him again. She knew that he would leave soon, and then she wouldn't know what to do. She figured that if she was mad at him, and ignoring him when he left, then maybe she wouldn't miss him. She stared straight ahead at the wall, hoping that he would leave soon, so she wouldn't change her mind.

"Casey. D-Rock goes on tour on Monday. This Monday, as in the day after tomorrow. It would mean a lot to all of us if you saw us off. They're picking me up last, so I'll be leaving around 6:10 a.m. just thought I'd let you know…"

He waited there for a few minutes, hoping that she would say something, but she continued to stare at the wall, now biting her lip hard and blinking back tears. He was being so sweet and genuine, and here she was, pretending she didn't care. What kind of a friend was she? What kind of a stepsister was she? She heard him sigh, and leave, closing the door silently behind him. She let out a long breath and let the tears fall soundlessly onto her arms and blanket, trying not to picture how his face probably looked as she ignored him.

----------

Sunday morning, Casey woke up early, before everyone else, and hurried into the kitchen. She made chocolate chip pancakes with chocolate syrup, knowing it was Derek's favorite. As soon as she was done, she heard people moving around upstairs. She hurriedly set the table, put the pancakes on the table and went out the back door, hoping no one would try and find her.

---------

Derek bounded down the stairs, smelling the chocolate in his sleep. Edwin, Lizzie, and Marti were right behind him. Derek saw the table before him, and instantly knew that it had been Casey who had made breakfast. He looked around for her hoping to thank her, but she was no where in sight. He wondered what she meant by making his favorite breakfast. Did it mean she forgave him? Or did it mean she was trying to make him stop talking to her. Or did she do something that would make him mad, like that time she told Sheldon Schlepper that he had failed Grade One.

Lizzie seemed to understand that it was Casey as well and went up to him as he was looking around in the kitchen. She put her hand on his arm and looked him in the eye.

"Just eat. If she's not here, then just appreciate the breakfast, I think that's what she wants." She smiled at him and pushed him gently toward the table.

He nodded and slowly sat down at the table, hoping at any moment Casey would pop out from behind a wall and sit down and eat with them. But she didn't, so he gave up and enjoyed the breakfast she made for him.

Lizzie hurried out the backdoor, barefoot, knowing her sister as she did, and found her outside, sitting down and leaning against the back of the house. She quietly walked over to her and slid down beside her older sister. Casey lay her head on Lizzie's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"He was looking for you."

"I knew he would be." She sighed.

"Why don't you want to see him?" She laid her head on Casey's.

"Because if I stay mad at him, then when he leaves I won't miss him, and then maybe I can enjoy a Derek-free life."

"But you told me that you thought you would miss him when he leaves…"

"I know. I also don't want to miss him when he leaves. So, I'm doing everything I can to make sure that I do not have anything to miss about him."

Lizzie cleared her throat, "Case, you do know that's never gonna happen, right?"

Casey let out a shaky breath, "I know. It's just nice to say it like it will."

Lizzie smiled and patted her sister's hand, "I'm sorry, Casey."

"It's all right, Liz. Somehow it'll all be okay. It has to be."

---------

Monday morning came all to quickly, and Casey heard Derek's alarm go off. She hadn't really been asleep, so she wasn't angry. She sat up, and debated whether or not to get dressed. She figured that Derek wouldn't mind what she wore, as long as she said good-bye, but if she got dressed, then she knew that she really would say good-bye. But if she stayed in her pajamas, then she could just go back to sleep, and pretend like she hadn't woken up in time.

She swung her legs off the side of her bed and closed her eyes. She heard him moving around, getting dressed and packing up his guitar. She wanted so badly to tell him not to go, to hug him and for once, admit that she would miss him, and let him know that she didn't want him to go. But of course, thinking about it, and actually building up the courage to do it, were two totally different things.

He was now leaving his room, she had also heard the honk of the tour bus. He was leaving. Seconds would go by, and he would be gone, and she wouldn't have said anything. She couldn't stand it. She hopped off her bed, not caring that she didn't choose to get dressed. She hurried out of her room and down the stairs. She passed the rest of the family and ran outside, catching him just as he was about to climb the stairs into the bus.

"Derek!" she cried, noticing that her voice was cracking.

He turned around, an odd mixture of relief and pain on his face. He took a few steps toward her, and stopped. She ran over to him and threw her arms around him, embracing him in a tight hug. He smiled as he held her back. He put his mouth right by her ear and whispered something. He hugged her tight once more, and then ran onto the bus, before she could see the tears forming in his eyes.

Casey stood in the driveway, her pajamas wrinkled, her hair messy, and her feet bare, but a large, smile on her face and tears running down her face as she remembered his whispered good-bye.

"_I'll miss you, Casey. Good-bye."_


	6. Chapter 6: Livin' the Life

**A/N: I am SOOOO sorry it took so long to update, and it's not even as long as I would like!!! Grr. I've been sick and very busy with schoolwork. And I've been making videos on YouTube. I even made a trailer for this story. So if you like it, why not check out the trailer!! My YouTube username is azaleaparklove. R&R, please:D**

**-Jacki :)**

**Chapter Six: Livin' the Life**

The bus ride to the hotel was not a particularly long one, but it was just long enough for Derek to fall fast asleep with his head pressed against the bus window. When the bus pulled to a stop, he stayed fast asleep. It wasn't until Sam shook him awake that he finally detached himself from the window.

"Come on, dude. We're here." Same said, following Ralph out of the bus.

Derek shook his head to clear his head, and grabbed his bag, and followed his friends. They walked around the bus, and stared up at the large hotel that they would be staying in. It was huge. It was a magnificent shade of blue, and had gold trim around its doors and all the windows. Derek's mouth fell open, and he looked over at Sam and Ralph and smiled when he found that he was not the only one who was staring, mouth open wide. Christopher was already inside, checking them in and getting their room keys. Just as the three walked into the lobby, he came hurrying toward them, holding up two card keys, smiling broadly.

"Alright, we got two rooms. Ralph, you and I are sharing a room. Derek, you and Sam share the other." Chris tossed Derek a room key and kept the other one for himself, "There are two queen-sized beds in each room and along with a kitchen-area."

Derek turned to Sam, grinning, "Sweet!" Sam high-fived Derek and grinned back.

The four of them hurried over to the elevators and rode it all the way to floor 32. Derek and Sam went to room 354 and Ralph and Chris were across the hall in room 353. Derek went over to the bed, dumped his bag on the floor, and flopped down on the bed, his face hidden in the pillows. He then rolled over and smiled at the ceiling.

"Sammy, this is the life." He said as Sam dropped his own bag into an armchair.

"Yeah, I could definitely get used to this." He fell onto his own bed, hands behind his head, eyes closed as he kicked off his shoes.

Derek rolled over to face the wall, and dug his face into the pillow. Maybe he would have such a good time on the road, that he wouldn't miss Casey as much. Sam had given him an odd look when he had run onto the bus after hugging Casey, and his eyes had been full of tears. He had been able to get out of answering then, but he was not so sure Sam would let him off the hook if he looked like he missed someone, when he was supposed to be having the time of his life. He quickly sat straight up and looked around.

The room was amazing. The kitchen was right by the door, and there was a balcony on the far side, outside the sliding glass doors. There was a flat screen T.V. hung on the wall and two large, extravagant dressers on either side of it. The beds were extremely soft and there was a very big lamp sitting on a nightstand that stood between the two beds. Sam was still lying on his own bed, eyes closed; Derek had a suspicion that he had actually fallen asleep. Derek chuckled under his breath and went over to the balcony.

He slid open the glass door and stepped out onto the concrete floor of the balcony. He closed the door shut behind him, and went over to the edge. He leaned his arms on the edge and looked out at the view. It was amazing. He wondered what his family was doing at that moment. And then he wondered what Casey was doing. He shook his head, trying, once again, to remove Casey from his thoughts. But, he failed, again, as he remembered how tightly she had held him before he left. It was as if she was trying to tell him not to go. But he had left, and Derek couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret that he hadn't stayed. But before he could delve into that thought more, he heard Sam moving around in the room, and opened the door.

"Dude! Come look at the view from here!" he called, and his tall, blonde friend hurried over and looked over the edge.

"Wow."

Derek nodded and joined his friend in looking over the edge, "Sam. This is the beginning of a very interesting tour."

Sam nodded as they noticed a large group of people pile out of a bus and hurry into the hotel.

-----------

Hours later, once they had all eaten and unpacked, Chris came up to them.

"Alright, your first gig is in an hour. We're going to head over to the stage now, so you guys can get ready and rehearse."

Derek, Sam, and Ralph all looked at each other, looks of excitement mixed with nervousness on all of their faces. But they did as they were told. They hurried into the lobby, passing by some of the people from the large group Sam and Derek had seen arrive. Derek noticed only a second before he left the lobby that they were wearing D-Rock t-shirts. He found it odd that they had been wearing the shirts, but had not gone crazy when they had seen the actually band members.

But, as he climbed onto the bus again, he realized that they were the people Chris knew. They didn't know who the band was, but they knew of the band. They were dressed for the concert that would be starting in an hour, whether the band was ready or not. Derek looked over at Ralph, who was happily drumming away, his sticks making a beat on the bus' table. Derek switched to looking over at Sam, who was sitting quite still, his hands clutching his own thighs and staring straight ahead. Derek himself was feeling in between Sam and Ralph, he was excited like the drummer, but also very nervous like the bassist.

Chris was sitting up in the front, chatting animatedly to the driver. Derek leaned his head back and it touched the window behind him. He let out a deep breath. This was his dream. This was what he had always wanted. He was about to get up and perform in front of the people who could make or break the band. It was a heart-stopping thought.

His heart had no time to stop, however, because the bus had stopped and they were now all being ushered off the bus by an overly excited Chris. Derek grabbed his guitar case, and noticed Sam had done the same. They all hurried off the bus and looked up at the stage they would be playing on. It was inside a very large, auditorium-like building, and when they went in, they were shocked at how large the room was. Ralph shouted out his name twice, and they found out that the acoustics were great.

D-Rock was pushed backstage by their overzealous manager. Awaiting them there were several people. Some of these people had make up set up in front of them, the others had racks and racks of clothes. Derek gulped, he was about to get prodded and poked and brushed and blushed. It was not going to be a fun hour.

---------

After what seemed like hours, D-Rock was ready to go on stage. Derek looked at himself in the mirror. His outfit looked like something he would normally wear, but different all the same. He wore a black t-shirt, and a red and black jacket half-way zipped up over it. He also had on dark blue jeans and some black tennis shoes. His hair looked like he had run a hand full of gel through it, because it stood up on its own. He looked over at Sam, who wore a blue jacket zipped up all the way over his darker blue t-shirt. He had on regular blue jeans, that looked worn, but he had been told were brand new. His shoes were white, but only the soles were shown under his too-long jeans. Ralph also wore a jacket and t-shirt and jeans. His jeans were black, his jacket was gray and unzipped and his shirt was dark green. His shoes were also gray.

On each of their t-shirts was printed the word: D-Rock, in big, bold letters, but only Ralph's could be seen clearly. They had explicit instructions not to mess with the zippers on their jackets because it pulled off their entire look. Derek shook his head at how stupid that sounded and went to rub his eyes, not remembering that he had a bit of eyeliner on. When he did remember, he jerked his hands away from his eyes, before he smeared it. He laughed to himself as he remembered the time he had borrowed Casey's eyeliner and she had had to help him wash it off because he had smeared it all over. He then realized he was thinking of Casey again, and his face became stony.

"D-Rock, the audience is coming in. Get ready!" Chris called from his post beside the curtains.

Derek nodded and looked away from the mirror. He walked over to where his guitar case was and opened it. He admired the shiny orange material as he looked over it, fingering it gently. He picked it up, and slid the red, floral print strap over his shoulder. What most people did not know about his guitar strap was that Casey had bought it for him when he had first told her about the band he was starting. He rubbed his fingers across it, and smiled. Then he turned to his two best friends and nodded.

"Ready, boys?" they nodded, "Let's go out there and do our best. It's make or break time."

The three faces went from smiling to stony as they realized it really _was_ make or break time. Derek led the other two to the curtains and gave them an encouraging smile. Chris gave them a thumbs-up and smiled. The three nodded at him, and heard the announcer introduce them. There was a lot of cheering, and D-Rock walked out onto the stage that was much larger than their schools, and looked out at the stadium that was a half a football field large. Derek looked at the other two. Sam nodded, and Ralph put his drumsticks in the air and counted off their first song.

"_She said it was over…_" Derek sang, remembering, as he did so, how Casey had looked dancing with him to this.


	7. Chapter 7: Too Long of a Wait

**A/N: I'm SOOO sorry! I bet I have no readers after this long of a break. I've just been caught up in so much other crap, I was in a play and had rehearsals everyday, and my schoolwork was piling up, and ARGH! I'm back, though!!! **

R&R, please!!!

-Jacki :)

**Chapter Seven: Too Long of a Wait**

"D-Rock's successful concert last night starts their three month tour! We're looking forward to see that and hearing more from them. I'm told by an inside source close to the band that their c.d. will be sold at their first stop on their tour." Casey clutched the pillow that lay in her lap so hard her knuckles were turning white. As the reporter went onto less interesting stories, three words repeated in her mind: 'three month tour'. She threw the pillow across the couch and hurried into her room. She was glad no one else was home. It was hard enough convincing herself she wasn't going crazy for missing him, let alone her whole family.

It was Tuesday evening, and usually she would be doing homework, but her heart just wasn't in it, and she kept getting distracted. So that is why she had chosen to go watch T.V. That's when the news had come on and said something about D-Rock, and she had kept the channel there. Now she wished she hadn't. She took a book off her shelf and opened it. She barely glanced at the first few words before losing focus again. She then resorted to music, and turned on her stereo. She turned the sound up loud and began dancing everything away. She danced away all thoughts of Derek, three month tours, and any feelings of loneliness and missing him.

The music was up so loud that she didn't hear her family come back from going out for ice cream. Derek had phoned earlier that night, right before dinner, telling them about their success last night. 'He forgot to mention the three month tour', Casey had thought bitterly on the way up to her room. The family had gone out to celebrate Derek's success, even though there was no Derek to celebrate with. Casey had found that odd, and had volunteered to stay home. So, now, here she was, pitifully dancing around her room, trying to distract herself from missing the one person her whole family was celebrating for.

She was miserable.

It had only been one day, and she was already resorting to intense dance therapy. How could she even stand three months? She had stopped dancing without noticing and had fallen to the floor. Her knees were now stinging sharply and the pain was shooting up her thighs. She then let the rest of her body hit the floor, and her head banged unusually heavily onto the carpeted floor. She closed her eyes and tried to block all thought from her mind. Because no thought was better than thoughts about him. She was focusing so hard on pushing out all thought, that she hadn't noticed her mother and sister standing in the doorway, wearing matching looks of worry and confusion.

"Casey?" Nora asked timidly, as if talking to someone with a mental condition.

Casey didn't reply at first. She was contemplating whether or not she wanted to talk to her mother. She gave in. "Yes?"

"Why are you lying on the floor?"

Casey grimaced and rolled over, opening her eyes and spotting her mother and Lizzie. She forced an unconvincing smile, "Um, I was just so tired I couldn't make it to the bed?" even to her it sounded lame. She rolled her eyes.

Nora walked over and knelt down next to her daughter, "Casey, darling, what's wrong?"

Casey shook her head and sat up, "It's nothing. I'm fine. I was just dancing. Then I fell, and I just didn't get up."

"You never fall when you're dancing."

"That is so not true!" but even as she denied it, she knew it was. She had extremely good balance and never did fall while she danced. While she walked, that was a different story. She was a very graceful dancer.

Nora gave her a look.

"I'm fine, Mom. I really am." She smiled again, "How was ice cream?"

"It was great!" Lizzie said, looking relieved, and finally joining in on the conversation, now that she was reassured her sister wasn't crazy.

"I'm glad you guys had fun, but I'm really tired right now. I just want to go to bed."

Her mother looked at her, doubtful, but then she saw the truth in her daughter's eyes and saw how tired she really looked. She nodded and kissed the top of her head lightly. She then ushered Lizzie out of the room, and closed the door on Casey. She scooted over to the bed and laid her head on it. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down.

After a while, she actually fell asleep with her body leaning up against the bed, and her head lying on it. When she awoke, several hours later, it was early in the morning, very dark, and her neck was sore. She scrunched up her face as she stretched it out, regretting not climbing into bed to sleep. She stood up and held her hand to her face, feeling tears on the corners of her eyes. She must have cried in the night without knowing it. She impatiently wiped them away and walked out of her room and into the bathroom. She washed her face and ran her wet hands through her hair, trying to wake herself up. She pulled her back and slid an elastic around it, getting it out of her face.

After leaving the bathroom, she heard a small noise, like an animal whimpering. She thought it came from Marti's room, and she tip-toed over to the doorway. When she looked in, all she could see was Marti's 'friends', but then she noticed Marti, lying on her bed, curled up in the fetal position, crying and whimpering.

Casey face softened and she made her way over to the bed, careful not to step on anything that would hurt her feet. She sat down on the bed and gently pulled Marti into her arms. The little girl buried her face into Casey's chest, and her tears soaked her shirt.

"You miss him too, huh, Marti?"

She nodded, "Why did he have to leave, Casey?"

Casey shook her head and hugged Marti tighter, "I don't know, sweetie, I don't know."


	8. Chapter 8: A Rash Decision

Chapter Eight: A Rash Decision

**Chapter Eight: A Rash Decision**

Casey had made up her mind. She was going to do it. Tonight.

But as she sat on her bed, staring at the packed backpack, doubts came flooding in. What if George and her mom found out? What if she couldn't find Derek? What if she got lost?

She shook her head. She had the names of the hotels where D-Rock would be staying, and she would stop by all of them, looking for him.

It was a good plan, Casey thought. She would find Derek, and tell him that she misses him, and that he should come back soon. This was where Casey made herself stop though. If she let her imagination go on past this, she wound up thinking of herself in Derek's arms, admitting feelings for him.

She did not want to admit that she really wanted that, so she strayed away from the thought altogether. She heard someone at the door, and she quickly used her foot to scoot the backpack off the bed and out of sight.

A knock.

"Come in!" She called, hoping her voice wasn't high, like it usually was when she was nervous.

Marti came in and hopped on Casey's bed. Ever since Casey had found Marti crying two nights ago, she had been beside Casey ever other time Casey turned her head. If Marti kept this up, it would be very hard to sneak out and find Derek.

"Smasey?"

Casey had to smile. She usually reserved the cute nickname for Derek, but since he was gone, she had put Casey in as the substitute.

"Yes, Smarti?"

"I want to go see Smerek on stage!" Marti's face lit up and she had obviously been working up the courage to ask this.

Casey's smile faltered, "Sweetie, I'm sorry, you aren't old enough."

Marti pouted, "But Smaaaaaseyyyy!"

Casey held up a finger, "No, Smarti, no whining. I know how much you miss him, but you'll just have to wait for him to come home so you can see him."

"But that will take forever!"

Casey smiled sweetly, "I know, sweetie, but we all got to stick it out. Okay?"

Marti nodded, and looked away, "Okay." She then ran out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her. Casey flinched and for the 500th time, had doubts about her plan.

She then remembered a clip from the T.V last night from D-Rock's last concert, and she pictured Derek on stage singing into the microphone, playing his guitar, and all her doubts vanished.

It was a good plan.

--

The McDonald/Venturis sat at the dinner table, each one trying to avoid the empty chair where Derek usually sat. It was awkwardly quiet, and Casey shifted uncomfortably in her seat. This wasn't the first meal without Derek. But it was the first meal where Casey was planning to run away. She kept her eyes on her plate, and was careful not to look into anyone's eyes, but luckily for her, everyone else was doing the same, so there was no one to question her.

She hurriedly finished eating and politely excused herself. None of the family even noticed she was gone. She only hoped it would be that easy when they woke up tomorrow morning and she would be gone. She tried not to think of her parents automatically expecting the worst. She decided she would leave them a note, but she would leave it somewhere they wouldn't find until after she was gone.

She nodded, that would work. She hurried into her room and grabbed a sheet of paper and a pencil. She jotted down a quick note that explained where she went, put down a lame excuse about visiting the band, and told them not to worry and not to follow. She then folded it up neatly and thought of where a good place to hide it would be. She hurried downstairs and put it on the now empty dinner table under the salt and pepper shakers.

There was a noise and Casey looked around quickly, and then hurried back up the stairs. She grabbed her previously packed duffle bag, and looked outside her window. She slowly opened it, so it didn't make any noise, and looked at the tree branch just inches away. She slid her bag out onto the branch, and then she climbed carefully out onto the same branch. With the new weight on the branch, the duffle bag slipped off, and fell down at the foot of the tree. Casey flinched and looked back at the house, fearing someone would hear, and look out. No one did.

She let out a sigh of relief, and began her climb down the tree. As she descended, she looked up at the light coming from her still open window. She felt a small amount guilt, but pushed it away, picturing Derek's face when she arrived at his hotel. She smiled and jumped the last two feet, landing soundlessly next to her bag. She put the strap over her shoulder, adjusted herself to the weight, and started her long journey to find Derek, the boy she lo— missed.


	9. Chapter 9: Diss From a Rockstar

Chapter Nine: Diss From a Rockstar

**Chapter Nine: Diss From a Rockstar**

It took two cabs, a bus, and one very awkward ride in a car full of chickens and a very smelly old man, but Casey finally made it to the hotel she was sure D-Rock was staying in. She kindly thanked the old man, and gave him the last of the money she packed as a thanks. She then hurried into the hotel lobby, and ran over to the front desk.

"Excuse me, is there a Derek Venturi checked in here?" she asked the blonde lady behind the counter.

The lady gave Casey a condescending look and scoffed, "You're another fan of D-Rock, aren't you?"

Casey smiled slightly, "No, I'm Derek Venturi's girlf-… step-sister."

The lady smiled, "Well, then you must know those girls over there. Go join them, it'll be a family reunion." She pointed across the lobby, where a group of over twenty girls stood around, looking eagerly everywhere, as if searching for any glimpse of D-Rock.

Casey sighed and left the counter, ready to just go back home, and wondering how she was going to get money for the trip back. She then heard all the girls start screaming and she looked around and they were all running towards three figures who had just come out of the elevator. Casey's face lit up as she saw Derek's smirking face as screaming girls ran toward him. She hurried over and was immediately thrown into the group of girls, and began getting pushed and kicked and she could have sworn someone bit her.

Somehow, she managed to get to the front of the group. Derek, Sam, and Ralph were signing autographs on everything and anything the girls gave them. When Casey was shoved up in front of everyone else, Derek saw her.

"Derek!" She cried excitedly.

She expected him to smile, or smirk, or do something to show that he knew her and she wasn't another fan-girl.

But she was highly disappointed. He walked up to her, his arm outstretched. Sadly, Casey did not see the pen held in his hand, and thought he was going to hug her, or at least pat shoulder. So, she eagerly outstretched her own arms, as if to hug him back. Derek looked around at the other girls, and back at Sam and Ralph. He noticed that the other two boys wanted to leave, so he hurriedly turned back to Casey. He quickly signed his name on one of her arms that were stretched out toward him and he then ran after his two friends, leaving Casey alone in a crowd of screaming fan-girls and thoroughly disappointed.

--

Derek sat backstage, getting ready for the next concert. Ralph was off in wardrobe, and Sam was in makeup. Derek had finished both already, and was impatiently waiting for the concert to start. He rubbed his temples and tried to de-stress. He was already tired of the hectic part of the Rockstar life. Having to rush around, and having to avoid fans. Though, the fans were definitely not a problem. A lot of them were hot. But there was one girl he had seen earlier that day, that was stuck in his head. Casey McDonald.

Why had she been at the hotel? How had she gotten there? Why was she there? Why was she with a group of fan-girls? She hadn't even said anything. All the other girls were screaming his name too. It's not like she had stood out or anything.

This was getting him no where fast. He needed to leave out all thoughts of Casey and the other fan-girls behind while he was out on stage. He shook his head and stood up, seeing Sam walking over to him.

"Hey, dude. What's up?" Derek asked, clapping Sam's shoulder.

"Uh, Chris says we're on in about two minutes." Sam said, looking a bit pale.

"You're not nervous, are you?"

"Well, it's just Jane's out there. And, I really want to impress her."

Derek scoffed, "You're nervous because your 'girlfriend' is out there? That's lame."

Sam ignored his insult, "So, I saw Casey at the hotel today, did she talk to you?"

So much for not thinking about Casey, "No, I didn't see her. Why was she there?"

Sam shrugged, "I dunno, I thought you would know."

Derek shook his head, "No clue."

Sam watched his best friend for a moment, but then shook his head, deeming it hopeless, "Come on, Derek, let's go get Ralph and make sure he's ready."

Derek nodded, and rubbed the back of his neck and followed Sam to the dressing room.

--

Casey sat on a park bench, where she had spent the whole day. The sun was now setting, and she still had no idea how to get back home. She pulled out her phone and had her house number half-way dialed before she hung up. She didn't want to make them worry and tell her that she had already run out of money. They would lecture her and tell her that she shouldn't have come in the first place, especially without asking.

No, she didn't want to hear that. She slipped the phone back into her pocket and stood up, dusting off her jeans. She looked around and saw a patch of trees, and she decided to stay there, if she couldn't find any other place to stay the night. She sat on one of the trees' roots and leaned her back against, her head looking toward the sky.

She closed her eyes and tried to figure out why Derek had acted like she was just another crazed, obsessed fan. She shook her head, no girl had ever figured out why Derek did _anything_, why should she be able to figure this one thing out? She lie down on the ground in the fetal position. She closed her eyes again, and tried not to think about what tomorrow would bring.

And she prayed that it would not rain, or her night would be even worse.


	10. Chapter 10: Kiss From a Rockstar

Chapter Ten: Kiss From a Rockstar

**Chapter Ten: Kiss From a Rockstar**

Casey's head hurt. It was really pounding, and she saw the bright sunlight through her still closed eyelids. She wondered why the sun was so bright, and she figured she must have left her curtains open last night. Then she opened her eyes.

She found the source of her headache. She has slept on a tree root. She looked up and saw the sun peeking through the gap in the trees above her. She groaned and slowly sat up, clutching her head. She felt a small vibration from around her hip, and looked down at the area. Her cell phone was made a slight bulge in her jeans pocket, and it was vibrating. Praying that it wasn't her parents, she pulled it out of her pocket. She looked at the screen and it said '15 missed calls'. She groaned again and checked to see who had called her fifteen times.

'Derek'

'Derek'

'Derek'

'Derek'

'Derek'

……

The list went on. She rolled her eyes, pushed the phone back into her pocket and stood up carefully. Her head still hurt and she didn't even want to think about Derek, especially not why he had called her fifteen times that morning.

She decided she should go somewhere, and find a way to get something to eat. Maybe someone was handing out samples. She smiled in spite of herself. She never thought she would be sleeping in a park, and trying to get free food. It would all be hilarious if it wasn't really happening. Before she was even all the way out of the park, her phone rang and, out of habit, she put it to her ear and pressed OK, before even checking who it was.

"Hello?"

"Casey! Finally! I've been calling all morning."

Ugh. It was Derek. "What is it, Derek?"

"Case, I wanted to apologize. But I don't want to do it over the phone. Can we meet somewhere?"

Casey was struck with a brilliant idea, and smirked, "Sure. Where do you suggest?"

Derek sounded relieved; he obviously hadn't expected her to be so accepting, "Um, well, there's a café across the street from the hotel. How about there?"

"Sounds great!" Casey smiled, as she lied through her teeth.

She had no intention of ever going to the café.

--

It had been two hours. Derek had played with the sugars, the creamers, and the salt and pepper shakers, and she still wasn't there. His paper napkin was in a hundred little shreds on the table in front of him, and his hair was standing on end from the many times he ran his fingers through it.

He nervously rapped his knuckles on the table, subconsciously making a beat. The waiter who had come up to him multiple times during the two hours, was looking over at him, very annoyed that he hadn't ordered anything yet. He finally decided it was either order something or get kicked out.

"Sir would you like to order?" he asked as he stood impatiently at the table.

Derek shook his head, "She said she'd be here. I'm going to wait until she gets here until I order."

"Well, sir, the rule is, you order something, or you leave. Right now, you're just loitering, and I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"But she said that she would be here! Can't you give me just five more minutes? Please?" Derek looked helplessly out of the window, hoping to see her coming.

The waiter shook his head, "Sorry, it looks as if you've been stood up. If she hasn't come for the past _two hours_ what makes you think she'll show up in the next five minutes?"

Derek slammed his fists onto the table, "Listen, I know Casey, she'll be here! She's just running late…"

"Two hours late."

Now he was just taunting him, "Shut up!" Derek roared, shooting up out of his chair.

"Now, you really do have to leave. Or I will call the police."

Derek's anger faded as the truth finally hit him. He _had_ been stood up. And by Casey too. This was his first time ever being stood up. It didn't feel good.

He didn't want the police involved, so he gave the waiter five dollars and left the shop. He walked slowly down the street, hoping that he would see Casey, but it was a half-hope, he really knew it wouldn't happen. He crossed the street feeling worse than he ever had, and went back into the hotel.

He was at once attacked by a group of fan-girls, but he was most definitely not in the mood, and he hurried away from them, barely catching the elevator before they followed him. He leaned his head up against the elevator wall and sighed. He pulled out his phone and dialed her number, he knew it by heart. He put the phone to his ear and listened as it rang. And rang. And rang. She didn't answer again. He tried again several more times, but she never answered.

He wanted to throw the phone against the wall. But instead he fell to the ground, and tossed the phone away from him. He had screwed it up big last night, and Casey had barely forgiven him all the other times he had screwed up. It didn't look like she would ever forgive him now.

Life sucked.

--

Casey smiled to herself as she sat on the park bench again, watching her phone ring, and ring, and ring. When it finally stopped, she slid it back into her pocket and stood up.

Hopefully he had suffered enough. It was time to go see if he was really sorry. Besides, she really did want to see him again, as much as she tried to tell herself she didn't. She hurried out of the park, and made her way back to the hotel. At least she thought this was the way.

--

Casey was surprised at how many streets looked so alike in this city. The only thing missing on ALL of them was Derek's hotel. She had searched so many streets, and her feet were so tired. If the next street she went down was not it either, she was going to give up, and just call Derek.

She was hoping she wouldn't have to do that. She wanted to surprise him by just showing up, and calling him would ruin the surprise. She walked down the street, and finally saw the place she was looking for. She grinned, and despite her tried feet, she ran all the way over to it. She ran through the doors, and into an elevator, ignoring the yells of the woman behind the counter.

"Excuse me, this elevator is occupied." A very rough, sad sounding voice said from behind Casey, as the doors closed in front of her.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I'll get off on the nex—" she had turned to face the person, and saw, "Derek!"

Derek looked up at her, his eyes red, "Casey?"

She nodded and sat down beside him, "What are you doing?"

Derek cleared his throat, and looked straight in front of him, "Riding the elevator."

"For fun?"

"No. Does it look like I'm having fun?"

Casey inspected him. He was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall, his phone had been tossed away, and his eyes were red, and it looked as if he had been crying.

"No," she answered honestly.

"Why are you here?" Derek asked, not rudely, just curiously.

"I came to see you."

"Why, I thought you hated me."

Casey looked over at him again, "Now why would I hate you?" she asked, feigning innocence.

"Because of what I did…"

"What do you mean?"

"Please don't make me relive it, Case."

"Don't make YOU relive it?!" Casey fumed, she was now angry at this pathetic creature beside her, "Oh, so now you're the one who's hurt, are you?!"

Derek's eyes widened, "Oh, no, Casey, I didn't mean it like that. I, just, it wasn't my proudest moment, and I'm ashamed."

Casey turned away from him, "Well it wasn't the best time of my life, either, Derek."

She felt something on her clenched fist, and looked down and saw his hand on hers. "Casey, I was in autograph mode, I don't know what came over me. I was just surprised you were there. And, well, I guess I wasn't thinking righ-"

"No, you weren't thinking. You never do!" She jerked her hand out from under his, "You can't just say you weren't thinking, and expect me to forgive you. What you did was jerk-ish, and horribly mean! I couldn't believe it."

"I was in a hurry, and girls were screaming everywhere, and I had a pen in my hand, and, I acted like every rockstar does, like a jerk. I was stuck up, and arrogant, and I acted like you were just another fan-girl. When you're much more than that. I'm sorry Casey. I really am. And I don't care if you never speak to me again, just as long as you know that I am sorry. And that I never wanted to hurt you like I did."

It was silent for a moment. And then something dinged, and Casey jumped, she had forgotten that they were in an elevator. The doors slid open and a man was about to step in.

"Um, this is occupied, could you catch the next one please?" Derek said it as more of a demand than a question.

The man nodded and stepped back a few steps. Derek pressed the 'close door' button and the elevator began to move again.

"Casey?"

She didn't turn to him immediately, she took her time. "Derek, I'm not saying I agree with what you did. I'm not even saying that it's a real excuse. But, I don't like this. I missed you, so I came to see you, and you shot me down. I would have left that night."

"Why didn't you?" so there was still some hope yet…

"I ran out of money."

"Oh." disappointment ran throughout Derek's mind.

"But, now, I'm glad I didn't. Derek, I really missed you. And despite the jerk you were yesterday, I still am glad to see you. I really don't want to be. But I am. Do you think, maybe, we can forget like yesterday didn't happen?"

Derek nodded, "I'd like that. But, Casey." His hand was on her now unclenched hand again.

"Yeah?"

He looked her in the eye, "I'm really glad you came. I really missed you too."

Casey smiled.

Before either of them knew what was happening, they were leaning in closer, and then, suddenly, their lips met.

It took a few minutes to realize what they were doing, and Casey pulled away.

"What just happened?" she cried, looking mortified and really happy all at the same time, if that was even possible.

Derek looked the same way, "I have no idea. But I can't say I didn't like it."

Casey grinned, and leaned back over to him, "You're not the only one."

And Derek grinned in return, and kissed her again.

And that was how they were when the elevator dinged again and the doors opened, showing two people what was happening.

"Whoa."


	11. Chapter 11: Spill

Chapter Eleven: Busted

**Chapter Eleven: Spill**

"Derek?"

"Edwin?"

"Casey?"

"Lizzie?"

Casey and Derek, arms still around each other, stared, dumbfounded, at their younger siblings. Lizzie was smiling, with a knowing look in her eye, and Edwin's mouth was wide and he was staring at the two.

Derek cleared his throat, nervously, and slipped his arms off of Casey and stood up. Casey followed suit, and looked around the elevator nervously. Then Derek looked sternly at the two younger teenagers.

"Why are you here? And how did you get here?" he asked, and Casey nodded, and stared at them, waiting for their answer.

"Well, when Mom and George found out Casey was already here, and we wanted to see the next D-Rock concert anyway, they let us drive up here, and when the concert's over we take Casey back, and leave you to your tour." Lizzie explained, as Edwin got over the initial shock of seeing Derek and Casey kissing.

"Oh." Derek said, and glanced over at Casey, "So you guys will be leaving tonight?"

Lizzie nodded, "Yeah, but if the concert goes over too late, we might have to stay the night…" she smiled again.

Derek's face brightened a little and he grinned, "So, Ed, Dad let you drive all the way up here?"

Edwin shook his head and regained composure, "Yeah, well, I've been driving for a few months, and he figured it would be alright. Nora almost didn't let Lizzie come, because Lizzie always says that it scares me when I drive."

"I'm not lying. I just really wanted to come, so I sucked it up." She laughed and shrugged.

Casey smiled, and hugged her sister, "Well, I'm glad you're here, I wanted to go to the concert, and I was worried I would be there by myself."

Lizzie pulled back, "Alright, now I'm going to point out the elephant in the elevator." She said as she and Edwin entered the small space.

Derek and Casey shared a nervous glance. "Wh- what elephant?" Casey asked nervously.

Lizzie folded her arms over her chest, "Well, that was quite a scene we saw when the doors opened…"

Casey became immediately interested in the tiles on the floor, and Derek stared at the ceiling. Neither looked at the other, or the two waiting siblings.

"Come on, you can't just kiss, and not tell us why?!" Lizzie cried, as the doors shut behind her.

Casey cleared her throat, and Derek rubbed the back of his neck.

Edwin turned and looked at Lizzie, "They're not going to tell us, are they?"

Lizzie grinned, "Nope, I guess we're going to have to make them!"

Derek and Casey both looked at Edwin and Lizzie, wide-eyed, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we could always call Dad and Nora; I think they'd want to know the full story…"

"NO!" the two cried in unison.

Casey sighed, "We kissed, because… well, because we wanted to okay?"

"Yeah, we don't have to have a reason to kiss, do we?"

"Well, you do if you're Derek and Casey. Last thing we knew you two hated each other." Edwin said, Lizzie nodding.

Derek frowned, "I never hated Casey. I just liked making her aggravated."

Casey hid a small smile by turning her head, then she turned back to her interrogators, "And if I gave off that I hated Derek it was only because I was trying to hide my real feelings."

Derek couldn't hide his grin. He turned to her, forgetting Edwin and Lizzie were even in the elevator, "Your real feelings?"

Casey smiled, "Yes, my real feelings."

Lizzie and Edwin grinned, and stepped back, as they watched the two, knowing that this bound to happen soon. 

"And what might those be?" Derek asked.

Casey turned her head slightly, but then looked back into his eyes, "I… might just like you… more than a step-sister should…"

Derek took her hand in his, "Well, that's good, because I sure as heck don't think of you as a step-sister."

"Then what do you think of me as?"

"A beautiful girl who just happens to live in the room next to me."

Casey laughed, "Well, that settles it. I like you, and you like me. Now what?"

"Well, I didn't really want to do this with my little brother and your little sister around…"

"Oh just shut up, and ask her out already! We knew you liked each other long before you two even knew!" Lizzie blurted out.

Casey and Derek whipped around to face her, faces shocked, "What?!"

"Well, the only way you couldn't see it was if you were blind. Or our parents, who don't seem to notice anything." Edwin laughed.

Derek shrugged, and stepped closer to Casey, "Well, before that interruption, I was going to ask you to be my girlfriend. Would you?"

Casey's smile grew, and went all the way up to her eyes. She wrapped her arms around Derek's neck and leaned up, touching her lips to his.

When she pulled away, Derek let out a breath that sounded like a short laugh, "Does that mean yes?"

Casey nodded, and Lizzie and Edwin sighed. "Finally!"

The older two laughed and at that time, the elevator dinged again, and the doors opened one last time. The two Venturi boys and the two McDonald girls stepped out of it, and looked around; they were in the lobby.

Derek took Casey's hand in his again, and looked around at the other three, "Well, why don't I show you all around town, and we can have some fun before the concert."

"Don't you have to tell someone where you'll be?" Casey asked.

"No, just as long as I'm back an hour before the concert, I'm free to roam."

The four smiled, and headed out into the big city. Edwin glanced over at Lizzie, a look not unlike Derek's in his eye. But when she looked over at him, he quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat.

She grinned, and sighed, another Venturi boy in denial. But this one, she was going to work on soon. She waited long enough for Derek and Casey. Edwin would have to get over it quickly.

--

Derek and Casey were sitting at the table Derek had sat at for two hours that morning, smiling and eating lunch. Edwin and Lizzie had taken a walk down to the park down the street, and Derek and Casey were glad with the alone time.

"Derek. Even though Lizzie and Edwin weren't being serious about calling Mom and George, they're going to find out about this sooner or later."

Derek shrugged, "We're eighteen, there's not really anything they can do about it."

Casey sighed, "I really want to think like that, but, Derek, think about it, I mean, do you really think our parents will approve of this?"

"To be honest, Case, I really don't care if they do. I've waited three years to be with you, and I'm not going to let our parents stop us."

"Really? You've waited three years? That's as long as we've known each other!"

"Well, when I really think about it, yeah. I mean, I always picked on you because I liked having your attention. And plus, you're really cute when you're angry. But I never thought about it like that, because, well, I guess I was in denial."

Casey took a bite of her food, and thought hard. "I have to admit, I really did think I hated you for the first year. But, then, I started to realize, that I didn't hate you, I just hated the fact that you could be so carefree, and well, just be you, and I was always so uptight. I think that's what bugged me the most. And, I guess I just wished I could change, but I never did, and I got angry, and I took it out on you. It wasn't until recently that I realized over time I came to have feelings for you."

"Well, as much as I don't like to think that I was the only one who fell at first sight, I'm glad you realized that you did have feelings."

Casey smiled, "Well, I kind of like the fact that I made you wait."

Derek chuckled, "I'm glad you liked it, because it was torture for me! Having to act like I was just the annoying step-brother when I wanted to be so much more. I'm glad we're done with those days."

"Me too. I just like being with you, right now. I don't want to go home."

"You have to finish off school."

"That's five more months!"

"Well, then you can join me on the tour, and we don't have to be apart."

"What am I going to do for those five months?"

"The same thing I have to do. Wait and miss you."

Casey smiled, "You sure do have a way of making a girl smile."

He grabbed her hand, "It's only because I love seeing yours."

"Since when did you turn into a sappy love card?"

Derek pretended to be offended, "That hurt, Case! That truly hurt!"

"I'm sorry. I'm not saying I don't like it. I just didn't think you could be like that."

"To be honest, I didn't either." He laughed, "You just bring out the best in me. Or, Ralph would say it's the worst."

"I definitely do not think it's the worst, so Ralph can stuff it!"

Derek grinned, "You're amazing. Remind me why I waited this long to do anything?"

"Because you were waiting for the opportune moment."

Derek leaned across the table and put his mouth next to her ear, "Then I'm glad I waited." And he moved his lips to hers and kissed her gently.

Casey smiled as he sat back in his seat, "I'm glad too."

--

Edwin had been quiet. Too quiet. And Lizzie was beginning to worry.

"Edwin. Talk to me, please."

"Well, Liz, you just told me you liked me. What am I supposed to say?"

"Well, for starters, you could say you liked me back…" it sounded lame, even to her.

Edwin shifted his feet, "I don't know what I feel right now, Lizzie. I couldn't tell you."

"Oh."

"But, I'll tell you as soon as I figure it out!" Edwin said, trying to brighten her up again. He hated it when she was sad.

"That's alright. I think I know how you feel right now." And with that she spun on her heel and hurried back to the café to see her sister. She needed some sisterly advice.

Edwin meanwhile decided to take another lap around the park. He had a lot to sort out, and a very short time to do it. He sighed and began walking, thinking about Lizzie and all the things he felt, and didn't feel toward her.

It wasn't until he was halfway around the park that he realized how blind he had been.

He took off running to the café; he needed to stop Lizzie before she went to Casey.


	12. Chapter 12: Saying Goodbye Again

Chapter Twelve: Saying Good-bye Again

**Chapter Twelve: Saying Good-bye Again**

D-Rock's concert was amazing. One of their best. Ralph says it was the drums. Sam says it was the fans. But Derek knew it was because their lead singer was the happiest he'd ever been in his life. The words just flowed from his mouth, and his guitar playing was near flawless. His friends caught onto his amazing playing, and they stepped up their playing. So, in result, their concert was the best they ever did. And the three people sitting in the front row, in seats specially reserved by Derek, were enjoying themselves immensely. The younger two were holding hands, and dancing together, as the music played around them. The older girl looked up at the boy she loved and smiled the whole time.

After the concert was even better, if that was possible. Derek took Casey, Lizzie, Edwin to one of the best restaurants in town. Derek couldn't stop talking. He had so much he wanted to say to Casey before she left and didn't see him again for another five months. Casey was listening intently, she loved listening to Derek almost as much as her liked talking to her. Edwin and Lizzie were smiling brightly and lost in their own conversation, that they didn't even hear the other two at the table. Edwin had caught up to Lizzie just before she went into the café. He had called out her name and reluctantly, she had turned to see why he called.

He had explained everything he had felt for her the past few months, and he told her why it scared him at first. He didn't want to be falling for his step-sister. But when she told him how she felt, he realized that it was inevitable. He just needed some time to figure out how to explain that. Lizzie had at once smiled and said she understood. They had then agreed to keep their 'relationship' to themselves. For the time being anyway. Derek and Casey would need no secrets, because Derek would be on tour for the next five months, and Casey would be at home, finishing school. There would be nothing to hide. Edwin and Lizzie, however, would have to be careful.

As the dinner came to an end, the four teenagers began to slow down, enjoying every second. The waiter came over; giving them the check and a look that said 'leave soon'. Derek took the check, and, despite Edwin and Casey's protests, paid for all four of them. As they were walking out, Derek laughed as Edwin tried to say that he could've at least paid for himself and Lizzie.

"Ed, I'm getting paid more than I ever have in my life. Let me cherish it a bit." Derek grinned at his younger brother and shrugged.

Edwin smiled, "Alright, but just this once. You'll make me look bad."

Derek ruffled Edwin's hair, "Oh, Ed, you don't need my help for that!" he laughed and playfully pushed him away.

Edwin fixed his hair, pretending to be huffed, "Well." But then he cracked a smile and shrugged. Lizzie shook her head and grabbed his hand, instantly he brightened and he and Lizzie began to walk ahead of Derek and Casey.

Derek half-smiled, "I'm gonna miss that kid."

Casey nodded, "He's gonna miss you too."

Derek looked down at the sidewalk, "Casey. You know, this thing that somehow started back there in the elevator… what exactly would you call it?"

Casey held back a laugh, "What do you mean?"

"Well, would you say we're going out? Like those two… or what? Because, as far as the rest of the world knows, we don't get along, at all; at least with them, people could see it."

Casey bit her lip, "Well, it's like you said, why should we care about what other people think about it?"

"But that's just it! What is 'it' that people are thinking?"

Casey sighed, "Derek. We established that we like each other. I told you I'd wait until I get done with school to come on tour with you. You even asked me to be your girlfriend. I'm pretty sure that means we're together. Which means, Mr. Ladies' Man, that you are now officially off the market. _Especially _to groupies!"

Derek gasped, "You mean no groupie romances?"

She slapped his arm, "Der-ek!" she cried, but smiled at him, "You know, I have no clue how I'm going to stand these next few months without you…"

He looked over at her, "Just watch the concerts on T.V. I'll let you know I'm thinking of you too."

Casey grinned, "How?"

"It's a surprise, if I told you, it would ruin it! Just watch!"

"Derek, you really have changed…"

"I think getting more serious since last summer helped…"

She laughed, "But, that's not it. You just seem, so… different. I could never imagine you saying what you just did… ever. Especially when we first met. I would have thought you were body-snatched. But now, it works."

"Thanks… I think." Derek said, watching Lizzie and Edwin, holding hands and talking animatedly up ahead, "Do you think we'll be able to get there?"

Casey looked up at him, "You really are serious about this aren't you?"

"I kissed you didn't I? In my book, when people kiss their step-sisters, that means they're serious. But maybe that's just me…"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Why?"

"Because I can't kiss you when you're talking!" she said, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and grinning.

"Oh, well then." He grinned as well, but put his finger to his mouth, "Do I really want to stop talking right now…?"

"Fine. No kiss for you…" she was taunting him, and he knew it, as she slowly began to walk away from him, biting her lip.

"I hate you." He said narrowing his eyes, but he hurriedly grabbed her wrist to stop her and then moved his hands to her hips to keep her there.

"If you hate me, then this must be an awkward position for you."

He narrowed his eyes again, "I want that kiss."

"Sorry. I don't give kisses to people that hate me." She easily slipped out of his grip and began walking backward toward Edwin and Lizzie, watching him.

"That's not cool. You just live to taunt me, don't you?"

"Take it back, and you get the kiss…"

"I refuse to take it back."

"Hmm. Than I refuse to kiss you. Sorry." She giggled as he groaned, "Woman, you're going to be the death of me!" and then he ran toward and made sure his arms went all the way around her to stop her from going anywhere.

"And why is that?"

"Because, having to leave you and all this behind is going to be torture!"

"Hey, you're the one who wanted to be a rockstar!" she laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, "But I don't think it'll be me that kills you."

"Oh, yeah and what will?"

She got really close to his face, and her lips almost touched his, "This…" she whispered and went in to kiss him…

But slid out of his arms once more and ran away to catch up with Edwin and Lizzie.

Derek groaned, "She's right… that's murder!"

--

They were back at the hotel where D-Rock was staying. Edwin and Lizzie were in the lobby, doing something on Edwin's laptop, and talking more than either of them ever had in their entire lives. Derek and Casey were by the pool, their legs dipped into the water, their hands touching.

"That really wasn't fair back there… you caught me off guard…"

She laughed, "Derek, I don't think I can ever catch you on guard in that position."

He thought about it, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm off guard around you all the time."

"See, I mix up your life."

"I never thought otherwise."

"Never?"

"Nope, from the moment I saw you all neat and tidy and organized that day Dad introduced us to you, Liz, and Nora, I knew you were going to be a constant challenge."

"Challenge?"

"In a good way, Case."

She rolled her eyes, "Isn't that an oxymoron?"

"No, it's called love."

Casey's eyes grew wide, "Love?"

"Yes, Casey, love. The word is not that odd in the Canadian language."

"No, but it is odd in the Derek Venturi language."

"See, you are a mixing up my life. Making everything different."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Definitely." He whispered, and leaned in and kissed her before she could leave again.

"Wow." She breathed as he pulled away, "It's even better the third time."

"Yeah…" Derek grinned, "But, I think we should save the fourth one."

"For when?"

"In the morning when you leave. And the fifth one for when you graduate high school, and I graduate this tutoring/home-schooling thing I got going on."

She smiled, "I like that plan." She kissed him on the cheek, "But now it's getting late, and that concert tired me out. Did you get the room for me and Liz?"

"Yep, and I cleared it with Chris, Ed can sleep on the couch in me and Sam's room."

"Sam's alright with it?"

"Yeah."

"Did you tell Sam and Ralph about us?"

"Not yet. I think Sam will understand; he always seems to. But, Ralph, that'll be a different story. So, I think it'll be safer to tell them after you leave. Because I don't want Ralph giving you any crap or anything like that."

"I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

"I know you can. I just don't want you to have to."

She smiled and stood up, "You're amazing."

He stood up as well, "I'm not the only one." He smiled, "Now, I was getting to something with that love thing… now what was it…? Oh yeah, Casey, I think I might love you…"

"Wow, one day of being your girlfriend and you already love me?"

"No, I've loved you for a while. The girlfriend thing took a little longer than I hoped."

She giggled, "You know what, as much as I have denied it this past year, I have had feelings toward you that I never thought possible. I'm just not sure if it's love or not. I never told Sam I loved him, and I never told Max either."

"Well, we both knew what kind of guy Max was."

"Let's not bring that up again, please; we both know how the other feels."

Derek nodded, "So, do you need time to think about it?"

"Yes. I want to mean it when I say it. I don't want it just to be like a response. I want it to be full of meaning, like yours was."

Derek's face fell a bit, but he nodded once more, "I understand. I want you to mean it too. Come on, how bout I walk you to your room?"

She took his hand in hers, "I would love that."

And so that was what he did. They stopped outside the door and he slid the card key out of his back pocket and gave it to her, "I'll send Liz up when I go get Ed in a little bit."

"Alright, sounds good. 'Night, Derek." She smiled at him for the thousandth time that day.

"Good night, Casey." He grinned, kissed her cheek and hurried away.

She held in a giddy, excited giggle, and hurriedly opened the door and let it shut behind her. She jumped onto the bed and smiled into a pillow, reliving the amazing events of the day over and over again in her head.

--

Morning came too fast for Casey, and even faster for Derek. There the two of them were, standing in front of the hotel, too early for comfort, waiting for Edwin and Lizzie to get the car. Derek was holding Casey in his arms, and she was lying against his chest, trying not express her feelings about leaving. His hands were rubbing up and down her arms as he tried to be some sort of comfort to her, when all he wanted to do was hold her close and never let her go.

But, all too soon, there was Edwin's car, and Casey was on her way with her bag, into the car. Suddenly she stopped and hurried back into Derek's arms.

"What's wrong?"

"I forgot something!"

"What?"

"Our fourth kiss!"

He smiled, and leaned in close to her, kissing her softly and gently, trying to put all his unspoken feelings about missing her into it. She must have gotten the message, because there were tears in her eyes when she pulled away.

She then hurried to the car, and slid into the backseat, keeping her eyes on Derek the whole time. As Edwin pulled away, he and Lizzie waved good-bye to Derek. He waved back, but the wave was really for Casey, looking out the back window, waving and crying as she watched him get farther and farther away.

As they turned off the street, she turned around to face forward and stared out her own window, tears still falling.

Derek watched the car leave the street, and his hand dropped from the air. He sighed heavily and went back into the hotel, wondering how fast five months could really go.


	13. Chapter 13: You're Dating Ralph?

**A/N: OMG! I bet I have no readers after this long of a wait!! I am SOOOOO sorry! I kind of lost my love for this story, but now I have found it again, and I have thought up some new dramas and scenarios, and I can't wait to see what you guys think of them. Thank you to all the people that were faithful even when I wasn't. Again, I am sooo sorry! **

**Please let me know what you think of this one!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Thirteen: You're Dating Ralph??**

Three days. Five days. A week. A week and four days. Two weeks. Three weeks. A month. How many days left until five months were over? Casey had no idea, but she knew that it was still a lot. It had only been one month, and she was already on the brink of insanity. She had watched all of Derek's concerts on T.V, and each time he had winked at the camera, showing her that he was thinking of her. She had smiled the first couple times, but now her face fell every time. She missed him, and she was tired of being at home, while he was off living his dream.

She spent most of her time in her room, doing homework, and writing about how she felt about being left behind. She sometimes wrote poems, and other times she just vented. Lizzie and Edwin had been sneaking around the house for the whole month, trying not to show the parents that they were together. Casey had once caught them making out in the games closest, and swore from then on, to always knock before opening that door again. Lizzie hadn't been of much help to Casey, because she was so wrapped up in the happiness of having a boyfriend, that she couldn't notice Casey's sadness.

Marti did. Somehow Marti had always noticed things like that. She would come into Casey's room everyday that whole month, and just talk to her. She never mentioned Derek, because somehow Marti just knew that that was what Casey was upset about. So she talked about school, and asked Casey how school was going for her. She talked about her friends, and the things they did, and the fights they had. She talked about her favorite T.V shows, and she talked about her favorite songs. Strangely enough, Casey's favorite part of the day, was when Marti came in and talked to her. It made her feel like she wasn't missing something.

But now, it had been a whole month, and Casey could hardly stand it anymore. Emily had noticed that she had been a distracted and upset, but every time she had tried to find out what was wrong, Casey had blown it of as nothing. Soon, she started avoiding Emily, and just focusing on her schoolwork. Casey hadn't heard from Max since they had broken up, but Noel was constantly around, trying to talk to her, and find out what was going on in her life. She could sense that he liked her, but she couldn't tell him that she had a boyfriend, because he would ask who, and she wouldn't say Derek, and then she would make something up, and he would think she was making up a boyfriend to get rid of him. So she just let him talk to her, and drop hints that he was interested in her.

She quickly grew annoyed with his constant attendance, and began to take different routes to her classes just so she could avoid him. She felt bad abut avoiding both him and Emily, but she didn't want anyone prying to close, and finding out about Derek. Especially when he wasn't around to help her prove that it was the truth, and help her deal with the crap that she was bound to get from everyone once they found out she was dating her step-brother.

She sat at her desk, thinking about Derek, when she heard a knock on her door. She called to them to let them know they could come in, but didn't look to see who it was. When the door opened and then shut, she figured it was Marti so she spun her chair around to face her. She was surprised, however, when she saw Noel standing in her room.

"Noel?" she asked, not caring how surprised she sounded; she had every right to be.

"Um, your mom let me up. I needed to talk to you." He said, looking awkward.

She forced a smile, "Sure, Noel, sit down." She really wanted nothing more than to ask him to leave, and just let her be alone, but she was too polite to do such a thing, so she motioned to her bed.

He perched on the edge of it, looking, if possible, even more awkward, "Listen, Casey, I know you've been avoiding me, and I think I know why. You know that I like you. And, I have no idea how you feel about me, but I wanted you to know, you can just come out and say it, however it is you feel."

Casey sighed, "Noel, I'm flattered that you like me, but I'm sorry to tell you that I don't feel the same way. I really am sorry, but I tried so hard not to lead you on."

"But somehow I got the wrong signals anyway." It was now his turn to sigh, "I'm sorry, too. I really do like you, and I just wanted to let you know."

"Thank you, Noel, for your honesty, and I'm sorry I don't feel the same way you do."

"There's someone else isn't there?"

"Yes." She said, before she could stop herself. When it dawned on her what she had just said, her eyes widened and she bit her lip.

"I thought so. So, who's the lucky guy?" he looked very down now, and if Casey hadn't been freaking out about the situation she had gotten herself into, she would have felt really bad.

"Um, well, he's, um. Well, he's in a band."

"Uh, good for him. But that doesn't tell me who he is…"

"Uh… he's in a pretty well-known band, actually."

"Are you going to tell me who he is, or not?"

"Ralph!" she had spurted it out without thinking. After she heard herself, her cheeks grew red, and her eyes widened even more.

"Ralph? The drummer in D-Rock? Derek's friend? I always thought he was a bit, I don't know, shallow. Not many layers to him." Noel's eyebrows were raised.

"Well, um, that's the thing, many people see him as one way, but I see him in a completely different way. He's actually kind, sweet, and caring." She wasn't lying, she just wasn't talking about Ralph.

"Oh. Well, I hope you two are happy together." He stood up and got ready to leave.

"Thanks, Noel." He turned to leave, "Oh, and Noel?" he turned back to her, "Thank you for being honest with me."

He nodded, "Sure thing." And with that, he left, closing the door behind him.

She let out a deep breath and turned back to her desk, holding her head in her hands, 'That sure was weird.' She thought to herself, before turning back to her homework.

--

The next day at school, many people were whispering, but stopped short when Casey passed by. And then she heard them pick right back up after they thought she was out of earshot. She was very confused, but didn't ask anyone what was up, because they were all people she didn't know. But, it didn't take her long to find out what was going on, because Emily hurried up to her, grinning like she always did when she just heard something juicy.

"Why didn't you tell me you were dating Ralph?!" she cried.

Casey's eyes grew wide, "Oh no. Who told you that?!"

"Everyone's talking about it. Apparently his girlfriend's not too happy."

"His girlfriend?" Casey tried to remain calm.

"Yeah, Megan, or something. All I know is that she's real ticked at you, and so the whole school thinks that you made Ralph cheat on her with you!"

Casey hit her head on her locker, "No! No! No! NO!" she cried, continually banging her head on the locker.

"I've never seen this side of you. I didn't think you were the type to hook up with another girl's boyfriend."

"I didn't make him cheat! I just told Noel that I was going out with Ralph cuz I wanted him off my case! He was asking and asking and asking, and I said the first name that popped into my head!"

Emily looked shocked, "So, Noel told everybody you were dating Ralph?"

"It looks like it." She said angrily, removing her head from the locker.

"I think you need to go talk to him."

"Don't worry, Em, that's _exactly_ what I plan on doing." And she stormed off.

She didn't have to look hard for Noel, for he was standing at his locker, getting some books.

"Noel Covington! How dare you tell everyone that I'm dating Ralph?!"

Noel looked startled, and turned to her, "First off, I didn't tell everyone. I told one person, and it kind of spread. Secondly, you are dating Ralph, so why is that such a big deal?"

"Hmm, let's see. Maybe because everyone now thinks I'm a man stealer!"

"Well, if one girl says she dating Ralph, and you say you're dating Ralph, there's bound to be conflict."

"There wouldn't be if you hadn't told anyone!" Casey fumed.

"I told one person!"

"And now, magically, the whole school knows!"

"And I'm sorry about that, but maybe you shouldn't have even told me if you didn't want anyone to know!"

"I'm starting to wish I hadn't! But you would have pried until you found out!"

"That is not true!"

"Isn't it? You have such a big crush on me, that you wanted to find out who I was dating so you could hate him?!"

Noel stared at her, shocked, and she suddenly felt awful, "Noel, I didn't mean that, I'm sorry." Her voice was now suddenly softer.

Noel's face was now cold, "No, you did mean it. Good-bye Casey."

And he was gone.

Casey cradled her head in her hands and let out a shaky breath. Things were getting worse by the minute. Why couldn't she have just stayed with Derek and tutor with him?

--

"So, I hear you're dating Ralph now…" Derek said, he sounded amused.

"Oh, don't even start! I've had the worst day!" Casey said into her cell phone as she walked home from school.

"How in the world did that start?" he still sounded like he was holding back laughter.

"Uh, it's a long story."

"I have time."

She sighed, "Noel had been prying into my life, and he asked me who I was seeing. So, I avoided the question, and said he was in a band, and that the band was well known. And then he almost demanded I tell him, and I just shouted out Ralph so he would leave me alone. Little did I know, he would tell someone, and then the word would get passed around the whole school, and then to Ralph's girlfriend! And now, everyone thinks I made Ralph cheat on her with me!"

"Yeah, she called Ralph earlier, crying and yelling at him. I think he was able to calm her down, but I have no idea how that's going to work out."

"I feel awful for putting them in this position."

"Why didn't you just tell him it was me?"

"Because, I wasn't ready for everyone to know I was dating my step-brother just yet."

"Are you embarrassed?"

"Never! I just want you to be here when they find out. That way, I won't have to go through it alone."

"I thought you were a big girl and could take crap."

"From Ralph. Not from the whole student body of Thompson High."

He laughed, "It's alright, Case. I understand. I wouldn't want to put you through that."

She was silent for a little bit, "I miss you."

"I miss you, too. Have you been watching the concerts?"

"Yes. Everyone I can."

"See my winks?"

"Always." She smiled.

"Good."

"Well, I'm almost home."

"Alright, I think I'm gonna go for a swim."

"Okay. Derek, I really do miss you."

"I miss you too, Case. One month down."

"Four more to go." She sighed.

"It'll be alright Case. I love you."

She smiled, "I'll call you tomorrow. Same time."

"Good. Talk to you then."

"You bet. Bye, Derek."

"Bye, Casey."

She shut off her phone and smiled sadly as she walked up the front steps to her house. She let out a deep breath, and then opened the door and walked in.


	14. Chapter 14: Prying

**A/N: I laughed while I wrote this one. It was so fun making Derek jumpy. :D Let me know what you guys think! **

**R&R, please!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Fourteen: Prying **

"Yes, Megan. I know. No. I would never date her! I don't like her! I like you. It's just a stupid rumor!" Ralph paused, and Derek grinned as he imagined what Megan was saying to Ralph over the phone. He had gone down for a swim, and come back up, and Ralph was still on the phone trying to convince his girlfriend that he wasn't cheating on her. Derek laughed to himself as Ralph began to argue again, "Megs, I would never cheat on you! I wish I could come see you and prove to you in person that this isn't true, but we're doing concerts almost every night, and we're leaving this hotel tomorrow morning, and I can't leave. I'm so sorry. Please believe me!" he paused again, "Alright, Megs, I'll call you tomorrow while we're on the bus."

As Ralph hung up the phone Derek went over to him, sitting next to him on the balcony, "Does she believe you?"

Ralph shrugged, "I don't know. She said she did, but she didn't sound too convincing."

"Sorry about all this man." Derek said, patting Ralph on the shoulder.

Ralph shrugged again, "It's not your fault." He turned to look at Derek, "But why would Casey even say that she was dating me in the first place?"

Derek scoffed, "Like I'm supposed to know why Space Case does anything that she does."

Ralph shook his head, "Yeah, what would you know about her? I just hope Megan can understand that it's not my fault."

"I'm sure she will, man." Derek said, confidently.

Ralph looked down to the street below them, "I thought Casey never liked me, why in the world would she say something like that?"

It was now Derek's turn to shrug, "Maybe she wanted a piece of D-Rock's fame."

"Then why didn't she say she was going out with Sam?"

"Probably because they already went out; people would think she was lying."

"Yeah, I see your point. She could've said she was going out with – never mind."

Derek looked over at Ralph, did he know something? "Going out with who?"

Ralph shook his head, "It's nothing."

"Ralph."

"Nothing, D, nothing."

"You're the one that brought it up. Tell me."

He sighed, "Fine, I was going to say that she could've said she was dating you."

Derek tried to act repulsed, but a smile was threatening to take over instead, so he turned away from his friend, hiding his expression, "Why on earth would she say that?" at least his voice could sound repulsed.

"I don't know. I was just trying to make it seem like she had another option besides me."

Derek almost sighed in relief; Ralph had no idea, "Right. Like Casey McDonald would ever say she was going out with her step-brother." He turned back to Ralph, a grin on his face.

Ralph chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right. It was a stupid thought."

"What was a stupid thought?" Derek cringed, and prayed Ralph would not say anything to Sam, because Sam wasn't like Ralph, Sam would be able to notice Derek was hiding it; Sam had always been good at calling Derek out on his lies.

"Nothing, Sam, Ralph and I were just joking around." Derek shot Ralph a look, but he was too oblivious to notice.

"Yeah, we were talking about Casey wanting some of D-Rock's fame. So she spread the rumor that she was going out with me. But I said she could've said she was going out with you, but people would think she was lying because you already went out. And then I suggested—"

"Suggested that Casey's a nutcase and that Megan will soon find out that it was all just a stupid rumor." Derek chuckled nervously, and then kicked himself mentally. He was giving himself away. There would be no need to pry if he kept this up. Usually he was good at lying. Why when it came to Casey, did everything get complicated?

Ralph and Sam both looked inquisitively at Derek, then Ralph shook his head, "No, I suggested that she could say she was going out with Derek. But then Derek said that she would never go out with her step-brother!"

"I didn't say that! I said she would never say it!"

Sam raised his eyebrows and Derek mentally kicked himself again, "So does that mean you think she would go out with you, just not say it?"

"I never said that! Why are we talking about her anyway? We're hundreds of miles away, we're about to get even further away. I say we keep the Casey talk to a minimum."

"Why? Is there a secret you don't want us finding out?" Sam said, suspiciously.

Derek shook his head, "Of course not! I wouldn't keep secrets from my best friends!" He then hurried off the balcony and out of the hotel room, trying to keep his cool. If he made anymore slip-ups, Sam and Ralph would find out and it would be his own fault. He groaned, why did Casey have to be his step-sister?

--

It was a good two hours before Derek rejoined his friend's up in the hotel room. He had taken a walk down the street to a park, and just walked around there, clearing his head, so he could stop being all jumpy and trying to stop them from finding out he was dating Casey, when they were no where near that conclusion. He sighed as he waited in the elevator to bring him to his floor. He knew Sam and Ralph would be waiting for him, dying to question him about his strange behavior, but he was calmed down now, and he would be able to lie without any signs showing through.

Just as he suspected, Sam and Ralph were in the room, waiting for him. They immediately hurried over to him as soon as he opened the door.

"Where were you?" Sam demanded.

"I went out for a walk around that park over there. I needed some air."

Sam looked over at his best friend, knowing there was something going on, "Derek, what's up? You've been acting all swirly."

"I haven't been acting swirly."

Ralph stepped forward, "Yeah you have. Ever since I mentioned Casey saying that she was dating you. You know I wasn't being serious, right? I didn't mean to freak you out."

"You didn't. I knew we were joking."

"Then why did you go all buggy when I went to tell Sam about it?"

Derek sighed, "Because I thought Sam would take it the wrong way."

Sam raised his eyebrows, "Why would you think that?"

Derek shrugged, "Because it just seemed like it was something you would do. I thought you would blow it out of the water and take it seriously or something."

"I wouldn't have. And I didn't."

"Good to know." Derek shrugged and walked over to his bed, trying to blow it off as nothing. But, good old Sam now knew that something was up. He sat next to him on the bed and looked over at him.

"Derek?"

He didn't look up, just stared at the wall ahead of him.

"Derek is there something really going on between you and Casey?"

Derek's eyes widened, "What?! No! Even if she wasn't my step-sister, I would never be interested in a grade-grubbing klutzilla like her!"

Sam sighed, and looked over to Ralph, who looked very confused, "Derek, we're you're best friends. You can tell us you know."

Ralph seemed to catch on, "Yeah, so what if she's your step-sister, dude. She's hot!"

Derek glared at him.

"What Ralph's trying to say is; if you like her, you like her. There's no point in trying to deny it because she's your step-sister."

"I never said I liked her! What makes you so sure that I do?!"

"Because you spent all night with her the night she was here. And you even went down to say good-bye to her."

"Edwin and Lizzie were with us the entire time both instances!"

"You still wouldn't have spent that much time with her!"

"My siblings came up to see me. Was I supposed to not hang out with them just because she was there?"

"Well, no. But there was that time where Casey was in the lobby, and you acted as if you hadn't seen her, when I know you autographed her arm!"

"Really she was there? I was just in autograph mode."

"Whatever. I still think you like her. And you need to stop lying to yourself, oh Lord of the Lies!"

Derek looked over at Sam, shocked, "What do you mean?"

"You think you're lying to us, but you're really lying to yourself, saying you don't like her, when we all know you do!"

"You all?"

"Everyone with a pair of eyes, D."

Derek inwardly groaned; when did he become Mr. Obvious? "I really don't know what you're talking about. Casey and I get a long a lot better, but that's it. I don't like her. She doesn't like me. We just don't bite each other's heads off every second of every day."

Sam pulled out his cell phone.

"What are you doing?" Derek asked, a bit worried about who he was going to call.

"I'm calling Casey. Maybe you can lie until the sun sets in the east, but I know she's horrible at it."

Derek groaned out loud this time. He knew Sam was right. Casey couldn't lie to save her life. But maybe over the phone it would be better, maybe she could get away with it. Sam dialed her number and put the phone on speaker. As the phone rang, Derek silently prayed that Casey would not answer. He cursed inside his head as he heard her familiar voice answer the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Casey, it's me, Sam!"

"Hey Sam, what's up?" Derek could hear her smiling into the phone. He had half a mind to reach over and press the 'end' button on the phone.

"Ralph and I were trying to get Derek to tell the truth about something. But we know he's still lying. We figured we could get the truth from you, since you don't lie."

There was a slight pause, and Derek prayed she had figured it out, and that she would work her hardest to lie.

"What are you trying to get him to tell the truth about?" her voice was firm, but Derek could hint the stress underneath it.

"You, actually. He says he doesn't like you, and you don't like him. Ralph and I disagree."

"Why do you disagree? It's pretty obvious to everyone that knows us that Derek and I don't get along." If she had been there in person he would have kissed her for talking so normally and lying easily.

"Well, that's the thing. It's also obvious to everyone that knows you, that he's crazy for you. And we figured you must know something about that."

Casey cleared her throat, "Whether or not Derek likes me is completely his business. Truthfully, I might be a little freaked out if I knew that he did. But I can honestly tell you, that I have no feelings whatsoever for my step-brother."

Derek grinned; she didn't say his name, so it seemed like she was talking about Derek, but she could very easily have been talking about Edwin, so she wasn't telling a lie. He knew she would be smart enough not to give it away.

"Okay, that's all I wanted to know."

Derek heard Casey sigh, "When you talk to Ralph, can you let him know that I'm really sorry. I never meant to make Megan mad at him. I was just trying to get some guy off my case, and I made up a boyfriend, using the first name that popped into my head. I had no idea it would spread around the whole school."

"I'll let him know." Sam looked over at Ralph, making sure that he had heard. Ralph nodded.

"Alright, bye Sam; have fun at your concert tomorrow night!"

"Thanks, Casey! I'll talk to you later! Bye!"

He hung up the phone and turned to Derek, "You're lucky. But you're not off the hook. Come on, Ralph, let's go get something to eat."

"Yes! I'm starving!" and with that the two of them left the room, leaving Derek to lie back on the bed with relief.

Just as he closed his eyes, his cell phone rang and pulled it out of his pocket. He looked on the screen and saw that it was Casey and then hurried out into the balcony to answer it, just in case Sam and Ralph decided to come back into the room while he was talking to her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, are you around Sam and Ralph?"

"No, they just left."

"Good."

He laughed, "Sorry about that. They suspected me of liking you, and they weren't going to drop it. I didn't think they'd bring you into it. But, man, that was some expert lying going on back there!"

"I learned from the best." She was smiling into the phone again.

He grinned, "So what's up?"

"I just wanted to see if you knew that they had called me. But I guess you were if you knew that I was lying."

"Yeah, Sam had it on speakerphone."

Casey laughed, "Figures."

Derek chuckled, "I miss you, Case."

"We just talked a couple of hours ago."

"That's not what I mean. It's been a whole month. I'm getting tired of waiting!"

She laughed again, "I know what you mean. But it was you that thought up this plan."

"And I've regretted it ever since." They both laughed.

"Don't worry; you're not the only one missing someone."

"I love you. I really do. And I know that it's weird for me to be saying it, but it's true, and I just can't keep on pretending like it's not."

There was silence on the other line, and for a brief second, Derek thought he had freaked her out with his 'emotional-ness'. But then he heard a sniffle.

"You're not crying are you?!" he said, his voice louder, as if he were afraid.

She giggled, "No, I'm just touched. I never thought I'd see the day when Derek Venturi said 'I love you'. But I thought I would die before I'd hear you say it to me, and multiple times, I might add."

"As long as you're not crying…"

"I'm not Derek, don't worry."

"Good. Well then, I'm glad you're touched."

She laughed, "You really are a good guy, Derek Venturi."

He smiled sadly, "Is that as close as I'm going to get to an 'I love you'?"

Silence again, and then, "Like I said before, when I say it, I want to mean it, not just be a reply. And I also want to say it for the first time in person."

"Then how about we stop by on our way to the next hotel so you can say it?"

She laughed once more, "It's the complete opposite direction. Just be patient and maybe I'll say it when we see each other in four months."

He groaned, "Woman you're killing me."

Another giggle, "Good things come to those who wait."

"And wait, and wait, and wait!"

"Derek."

"Casey."

"I care about you. I truly and deeply do. If I can wait four months to say it, you can wait four months to hear it, right?"

He sighed, "Right."

"Alright, call me tomorrow when you get to the new hotel, and Sam and Ralph aren't prying around you."

It was his turn to laugh "Will do. Talk to you tomorrow, Casey."

"Bye, Derek."

"Bye."

He turned off the phone and put it back in his pocket. He leaned against the railing of the balcony and sighed. How on earth was he going to wait four more months to see that girl?


	15. Chapter 15: Best Friends Need the Truth

**A/N: I'm really not happy with the way this one turned out. Let me know what you think, please.**

**R&R, please.**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter Fifteen: Best Friends Need the Truth**

Lizzie pulled away from Edwin, pushing his chest with her hands. She was smiling, but she was trying to let him know that she no longer wanted to kiss. He gave her an inquisitive look, but she just smiled and shook her head.

"What's up?" he asked, going to lean back, but hitting his head on one of the many board games that stuck out from the shelves beside him. It was not easy having your secret place to kiss be the games closest.

She grinned, "It's my sister. It's been over two months since she's seen Derek, and I know it's driving her crazy. I mean, I get to see you everyday, I have no idea how it must feel to go this long without seeing my boyfriend."

Edwin sighed, "And you know Derek's going completely crazy. He's never had a girlfriend where he had to spend this much time away from her."

Lizzie looked at the door and rubbed her eyes, "I wish there was way we could get them together, but Derek's a lot farther away this time, we can't just drive to him."

"No, but maybe we could…"

"We could what?" Lizzie asked, anxiously, inching closer to him.

"Maybe we could buy tickets to Derek's concert this weekend, and surprise her." Edwin grinned at her.

She beamed, and kissed him quickly on the lips, "You're a genius, Ed!"

He shrugged, "I know." He then left the games closest with a kiss on the top of her head. She smiled after him for a second, and then hurried out and into Casey's room.

Casey was sitting at her desk, doing some type of homework, and so she didn't notice that her little sister had entered her room. Lizzie cleared her throat, and Casey sat up straight and turned around.

"Hey, Liz!" she smiled at her sister, and motioned for her to come sit down.

"Hey! I was just wondering how're you're doing." Lizzie asked, sitting down on the bed, watching her sister carefully.

Casey's eyebrows rose, "What do you mean?"

Lizzie smiled, "About it being over two months since you last saw Derek?"

"I just got off the phone with him, actually."

"How's he doing?"

"He's doing great. He, Sam and Ralph have been having the times of their lives on this tour."

Lizzie tilted her head, "How are you holding up?"

"It's not like he's dead, Liz, you don't have to treat me like I'll break at the mention of his name." She smiled, "I miss him, but I've been able to deal with it a lot better just talking to him and watching his concerts on T.V."

Lizzie nodded, "Alright. I just wanted to make sure you're not going crazy."

Casey smiled sweetly at her, "Thanks, Liz, but really, I'm fine, no need to worry."

Lizzie stood up, "Okay, see you later, sis."

Casey waved and then turned back to her homework, resting her chin in her hand. Maybe she was getting better at this lying thing, because Lizzie hadn't suspected a thing. The truth was, Derek hadn't called her at all this week; or the week before that either. She had tried calling him, but his phone was either off, or it never stopped ringing. She sighed and picked up her cell phone one more time. She flipped it open and dialed the number she knew by heart.

She put the phone to her ear and listened as it rang about ten times. She let out a groan and angrily shut the phone. She set it down on the desk and let out an angry breath and stepped away from the desk. She ran her fingers through her hair and stared at the phone. Why wasn't he calling? He has talked to her two weeks ago and everything had seemed fine. Then suddenly he just stopped calling. And he would never answer when she called.

She had continued to watch his concerts, and he still winked, but if he was still giving her hints that he was thinking about her, then why wouldn't he call!

--

"Come on guys; give me back my phone now. It's been two weeks, I think I can have it back now." Derek was growing annoyed with their constant attempts to get him to tell the truth about Casey.

Sam shook his head, "Not until you tell us why you called Casey so much."

Derek groaned, he wished his phone didn't have the recent calls list, "I told you, I was checking up on the family."

"Then why didn't you just call the house phone?"

"Because when Casey got her new cell phone, Dad and Nora put her on my plan, so when we call each other it's free. That's the only reason. She passes the phone to everyone so I can talk to them, and then that's it! Now give me back my phone!" He made to lunge at him and grab it, but Sam dodged, causing Derek to run into the wall.

Ralph chuckled as Sam tossed Derek's phone onto the bed, "Why won't you just tell us the truth? We know you like Casey, just admit it!"

Derek grabbed his phone off the bed and glared at his two best friends, "Why won't you two just give it up? I don't like Casey like that! She's my step-sister, and although we've gotten along a lot better, it doesn't mean I feel any different toward her than the day we met."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Okay, so you've liked her since you've met? I do recall you telling me that you thought she was hot, but then when you found out she was Nora's daughter you shut up."

"Okay, so for a quick second, I thought she was pretty. Big deal. She's still a super keener." Derek rolled his eyes, trying to pull this act off, when Sam was getting more and more suspicious.

"Come on, D, I went out with her, I know what it's like to have feelings for her. Just tell us!"

Ralph turned to Derek, "Why do you think you have to lie to us about it? If you like Casey just tell us! We won't, like judge you about it or anything."

Derek sighed, "Stop! Just stop!" He walked away from the bed and over to the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony.

Sam raised his eyebrows, "Derek!"

"Leave me alone, Sam!" Derek demanded.

Sam lowered his head and saw that Derek had left his phone on the bed. He grabbed it and left the room, leaving Ralph to stare between the door and Derek.

Sam pressed the recent calls button and pressed Casey's number.

"Finally you called! Do you know how worried I've been! I had thought that I did something to upset you last time you called or something!" Casey gushed, her words flying fast, and Sam had to listen hard to understand what she was trying to say.

"Casey?" he asked, trying to understand why Casey would be talking to Derek like that when she said she didn't like him. Unless she was lying; but since when did Casey lie?

He heard her take in a sharp breath, "Sam?"

"Yeah, I was just calling to say hi."

"On Derek's phone?"

"Mine's dead."

"Okay, so hi."

"Casey, is something going on with you and Derek, and please don't lie to me. I just want to know the truth."

Casey sighed, "Why do you want to know so much? Why does it matter to you?"

"Because Derek is my best friend, and I want him to be happy."

"He is happy. He's living his dream of being a rockstar."

"I think he likes you, Case."

"Well, that's something. Since when does Derek strike you as the type to like me?"

"I don't know Casey; please just tell me the truth."

"Sam, it's up to tell him if he likes me or not."

"Do you like him?"

She sighed again, "Sam, you're not going to give up are you?"

"Why do you guys insist on lying?!"

"Because we're step-brother and sister! It's not a normal relationship no matter how we feel about each other!"

"So you do like him?"

"Yes, Sam, I'm crazy for him. Is that what you wanted to know?"

Sam smiled, "Was that so hard?"

"Shut up." She laughed, "Derek might take a little while. He thought that you might understand, but he thought that Ralph would give us crap for it."

"We're his best friends, we don't care who he likes, we're just glad he's happy. And ever since you came and visited, Derek's been nothing but happy. Except for the past two weeks."

"What happened these past two weeks?"

"I took his phone from him."

"What?! You were the reason I hadn't heard from him in two weeks?! I thought something had happened!"

"I figured from your greeting." He laughed, "I was trying to see if it really was you that was making him happy. And it was."

Casey giggled, "Give him back his phone, and let him tell you about me and him, on his own time. You and Ralph quit bugging him!"

Sam laughed once more, "Will do. I'll hand you over to him now, and don't worry, I won't tell Ralph anything, and I'll stop him from prying."

"Thanks, Sam. You've been an amazing friend, and I know that Derek will tell you soon."

"Thanks, Case."

"Now let me talk to Derek!" she laughed.

And he laughed as well, walking back into the hotel room.

"Derek."

"I thought I asked you to leave me alone."

"Derek, it's Casey."

Derek whipped his head around, "What?"

"She's on the phone. She wants to talk to you."

Derek tried to keep a straight face, "Oh, okay."

Sam tossed the phone to his best friend, then dragged Ralph out of the room, ignoring his cries of his confusion.

"Casey?" Derek put the phone to his ear, "What's up?"

"It's good to hear your voice."

He laughed, "Yeah, Sam decided it would be fun to steal my phone."

"Derek he knows about us."

"He just has suspicions."

"Well, I told him I liked you. But I told him that whether or not you liked me was up to you to tell him."

He sighed, "Casey, I don't know if it's a good idea. What if it gets out to other people? I can't help you put up with crap at school if I'm all the way out here."

"Who is Sam going to tell? Besides Ralph. There's no one else on tour with you. And besides he's your best friend, and just wants to see you happy. So, tell him."

"Fine. I'll tell him. I've got to go get ready for the concert, but I promise, I'll call you tomorrow. If I don't, Sam has stolen my phone again."

She giggled, "Bye, Derek."

"Bye, Casey, I love you."

"Bye."


	16. Chapter 16: SURPRISE!

**A/N: OMG! I AM SOOOOOO SORRY GUYS!!!!! I can't believe I went a whole YEAR without updating! I really hope this makes up for it, I tried to make it really long. **

**Again, I'm really sorry! I promise to update again soon!**

**R&R, please, although I know I don't deserve it!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Btw... thanks for all those faithful readers who came back to this story after a year of waiting! :D**

**Chapter Sixteen: SURPRISE!**

Casey twirled a pencil between two fingers as she stared at the blank sheet of paper in front of her. She was _supposed _to be writing an essay on the main exports of Canadian ships in the 1800's, but she was having trouble focusing. She set the pencil down with a sigh and stood up. After she stretched her arms, she crossed the room and plopped down onto her bed, pulling her cell phone out of her pocket as she did. She dialed her favorite number and waited for Derek's voicemail.

'_Hey! It's D! I'm out being a famous rock star, so be jealous! I'm too busy rockin' out with D-Rock to answer the phone! Leave a message if you want, and remember to watch D-Rock's concerts! Later!' _Casey smiled as she listened and then waited for the beep.

"Hey!" she said after the robotic female voice told her to leave a message, "I know you're busy getting ready, but I just wanted to let you know that I miss you and I can't wait to see you again. You rock!" She giggled, "Alright, talk to you soon, Derek. Bye."

She closed the phone and smiled slightly, but then fell back onto her pillows and closed her eyes. All she saw was Derek's face as she left him two months ago. She sighed again and sat up, looking around her room, searching desperately for a distraction.

Distraction came in the form of a knock on her door. Eagerly she called out a welcome to whoever it was.

Lizzie poked her head in, and then she and Edwin came in, both had huge grins on their faces, "Hey, Casey!" they said in unison.

Their excitement was contagious, "What's up guys?!"

They shared a smile, and then Edwin pulled three small slips of paper from his back pocket. Casey stared at them, uncomprehending.

"You, Lizzie, and I are all going to see D-Rock this weekend!" He said, fanning himself with the tickets with a flourish.

Casey's eyes went wide, "Seriously? Like, for real? You cleared it with Mom and George and everything?" she was practically jumping for joy on her bed.

Lizzie nodded, "Everything's set; we leave tomorrow after school."

Casey frowned, "Tomorrow's Thursday. Mom and George are letting us skip school on Friday?"

Edwin shrugged, "No big deal. They know how cool it is to have a famous family member, and they said as long as we didn't make a habit out of it that we could skip school for the concert just this once. They also said we could miss Monday as well, so we can stay Sunday, and just leave early Monday morning."

Casey squealed with delight, "How are we getting there? Are we just driving?"

"Yeah," Lizzie nodded, "The car's all filled up with gas, and we've got gas money and money for food on the way. Edwin and I are gonna take turns driving so we don't have to stop somewhere to sleep on the way. We should get to the hotel where D-Rock's staying by Friday at 11 or so."

Casey hopped up and hugged them both tightly, "Thank you both so much! Tell me how much I need to repay you for the ticket, and I'll help pay for anything you need me to!"

Edwin shook his head, "You insult us, Casey. This is our gift to you. We know how much you miss Derek, so we just wanted to give you something that would make you both happy."

Casey's eyes filled with tears, but she hurriedly blinked them away, "You two are simply amazing. Thank you so much!"

Edwin and Lizzie smiled at her, but then left the room quickly, claiming they had homework and road trip plans to work on. Casey smiled after them and then picked up her phone again and left Derek another message.

"HEY! I have a surprise for you, courtesy of the best little siblings ever! You'll see what it is Friday morning!" And then she hung up the phone and grinned.

--

School on Thursday could not go by fast enough for Casey. She bounced in her seat in every class, tapping her pencil impatiently against her leg. Emily tried on several occasions to ask her what her deal was, but Casey just shushed her and rushed to whatever class was next. As soon as the final bell rang, Casey took off and rushed home.

Edwin and Lizzie were already waiting for her, the car all packed. She rushed by them, grabbed her duffel bag and then ran back down the stairs, yelling out a good-bye to her parents and Marti. She then hopped in the backseat as Edwin and Lizzie got into their seats, laughing at her.

"Let's go!" she cried, excited, bouncing up and down in her seat.

Lizzie laughed, "We're going, sis, we're going."

Casey relaxed into the seat as Edwin backed out of the driveway and they began to drive away. They hadn't been on the road but ten minutes when her phone rang. It was against her ear the second she saw that it was—

"DEREK!" she cried into the phone, a smile lighting up her face.

His deep chuckle brightened her smile, "Hey, Case, what's up? Your message last night said that you had a surprise for me tomorrow morning…?"

Casey giggled, "Yup! You'll see what it is tomorrow!"

Derek groaned, "Can't you give me a hint? Please? Waiting is torture, you know that!"

Casey smiled, "Trust me, it's worth the wait! But, I got to go! I'll talk to you soon though, okay?"

"Okay, I love you."

"Bye, Derek."

"Bye."

She hung up the phone and smiled.

--

Casey woke up with her face pressed up uncomfortably against the window. She moaned and pulled her face off of the glass. Lizzie had switched places with Edwin and was now in the driver's seat, as Edwin sat snoring in the passenger. Lizzie smiled back at her sister quickly and then resumed looking at the road.

"Morning, Case. We're about fifteen minutes away."

Casey grinned, "Excellent!"

She spent the next ten minutes cleaning up all the garbage that littered the backseat from all the fast-food they had eaten on their trip. Then she took the last five minutes to fix her hair and pop a piece of gum in her mouth to freshen her breath. She straightened the wrinkles out of her clothes the best she could and then, satisfied with her appearance, she spent the rest of the ride staring out the window.

Lizzie woke up Edwin as she pulled into the parking garage for the hotel and the three exited the car and, loaded down with their luggage, made their way to the large, lavish hotel where D-Rock was currently staying. Edwin went to front desk to check them in and Lizzie quickly followed. Casey clutched the strap of her bag tight and looked all around the lobby, searching for a familiar face, hoping to run into one of the members of D-Rock so that she wouldn't have to search for Derek's room.

Edwin and Lizzie hurried back over to her and handed her a room key, "You and Lizzie are staying in one room, and I'm staying with Derek and the other guys again."

"You talked to Derek about staying?" Casey asked, disappointed. She had wanted their arrival to be a surprise.

"Yeah, I just called him while I was waiting for your key. I told him I was coming to see his concert and I was wondering if I could stay in his room with him again. I didn't say anything about you OR Lizzie being here with me. He's on his way down right—"

"CASEY?!" Derek's surprised voice echoed in the hotel's large lobby.

Casey twirled around and searched for him. As soon as she spotted him, she took off running toward him. She tackled him and held him tight in her arms as she hugged him. He grinned and twirled her around holding her close.

"I can't believe it! You're my surprise?" he said, excited as he set her back on her feet, keeping his arms around her waist.

She nodded, "Yup! Here for the whole weekend! We don't leave until Monday!"

Derek's eyes lit up and he kissed her suddenly, leaving her breathless, "This is the best surprise, Case. Thanks!"

She just smiled, and when her breath returned she just simply said, "I love you." To which Derek's answering smile skyrocketed.


	17. Chapter 17: On Tour Together

**A/N: This is the final chapter of ICME! Hope it was well worth the wait, and I thank you ALL for sticking with this story for so long, and I hope you guys enjoy!**

**R&R, please!**

**-Jaclyn :)**

**Chapter 17: On Tour… Together**

After many months of waiting, the day of Casey's graduation had arrived. Derek, due to a lucky break in their concert schedule, was free to come home for the weekend and watch her walk across the stage. After Casey's surprise trip to go see him, they hadn't been able to visit each other, due to schoolwork on her part, and concerts on his. They were both looking forward to the weekend that they would finally be reunited once more.

Casey's bags were all packed, unknown to Nora and George, for she planned to join Derek on tour as soon as the weekend was over. That had been the deal; she graduates, he brings her with him. She was still trying to figure out how she was going to tell them, but she knew that she could go, no matter what they said. Lizzie and Edwin were doing all they could to help her get ready without alerting the rest of the house, and Casey was extremely grateful.

"Casey! Derek's home, come say hi!" Nora's voice called up the stairs, but it was not necessary; Casey was already at the top of the stairs as soon as she heard the door open.

What she wanted to do was race down the stairs and embrace Derek, for she had missed him and longed to hold him in her arms. But what she actually did was walk slowly down the stairs and smile at him, waving.

"Hey, D. Welcome home!" She grinned and winked at him as her mother turned her back on her to hug Derek.

Derek smirked at her over Nora's shoulder and hugged his step-mother briefly.

"So, where's the grub? I'm starving!" Derek announced, letting go of Nora and dropping his bags.

Casey and Edwin laughed, and Lizzie chuckled as Nora hurried into the kitchen, "Almost ready, Derek! George and I are making your favorite!"

Casey took this opportunity to motion to the stairs with her head. Derek immediately understood and grabbed his bags, "I'm gonna go make myself at home!" he called, and hurried up the stairs, Casey close behind him.

Lizzie and Edwin grinned and turned back to watch the T.V. Derek barely set his bags down on hid bed before Casey was in his room, shutting the door, and rushing to hold him. She hugged him tightly, and he wrapped his arms around her. He lifted her chin and leaned his head down toward hers to kiss her softly.

"Hi, Case." He grinned and kissed her forehead.

"Hey. I missed you."

"I would say that I missed you too, if it weren't such an understatement." She giggled and kissed him again.

"So, are you ready to bring me along with you?" she asked, eagerly looking up at him.

He let out a breath, "Case… about that. I don't know if it's gonna work out…"

Her face immediately fell, "But why not? There's plenty of room on the bus, and I can help with the roadie stuff, and I can even help somewhat pay for the hotel rooms…" she trailed off when she looked at Derek's face.

He was grinning, holding back laughter. She slapped his arm, "That is so not _funny_! I was upset! You have no idea how long I've waited for this!"

"Yes I do! I've been waiting, too, you remember?"

She nodded and plopped down onto his bed, beside his bags, "I just want this weekend to hurry up so I don't have to keep pretending to be your step-sister and I can be your _girlfriend_." She sighed.

He knelt down in front of her, "You _are_ my girlfriend. No matter where we are, you always will be. We just can't act like it here, but you still are, got that?"

She nodded again, and pressed her forehead against his, "I love you."

"And I love you, now get out of my room!" he chuckled, and hugged her, "I gotta unpack, and I'm sure you have some graduation thing to do."

She grinned, kissed his cheek and left the room in a hurry, feeling his eyes on her as she did so.

Dinner that night was a loud affair. Marti was glad to have Derek back, and kept trying to tell him about all that he had missed while he was away. Lizzie and Edwin were having some sort of argument, whilst their feet were rubbing against each other's under the table. Nora and George were trying to get Derek to tell them all about living on the road as a rock star, and Derek was sending Casey glances every chance he could. Casey was the only one who kept quiet, but her leg was extended, and she was using her big toe to gently move up and down Derek's leg, making him shiver as he tried to hold three different conversations at once.

Soon, though, everyone got tired of having to yell over one another, and dispersed, leaving Derek and Casey alone at the table to finish eating. Derek waggled his eyebrows at her, and she giggled, looking around her before blowing him a kiss.

"McDonald, Casey!" the principal of Thompson High School called out.

Derek, Marti, Edwin, George, Lizzie and Nora all cheered loudly from the crowd! Derek watched proudly as Casey crossed the stage, only tripping over herself once, and took her diploma from the principal. She flashed her family and Derek a brilliant grin, before going back to sit beside Emily. Soon, the whole ceremony was over, and everyone began taking picture, signing yearbooks at the last minute, and saying tearful goodbyes.

Casey was in a tearful embrace with Emily when Derek finally managed to make his way over to her. He waited patiently as she said good-bye to her first friend at Thompson High, and slowly made her way over to him. Looking around to make sure none of their family could see, Derek gave her a quick, tight hug.

"Congratulations, graduate!" he smirked, pulling away, and taking her hand to lead her back to the family, "How does it feel to be done with high school forever?"

"Awesome! It's such a relief! You have no idea!"

Derek nodded, "I don't. My graduation was just a simple matter of me finishing schoolwork and getting a certificate of tutoring completion."

Her face fell but he smiled at her, "Don't worry, I am not jealous in the slightest. We both got what we wanted."

"Yeah, we did." She pulled him into a hug again, not caring if her parents saw, "We got each other."

Everything was ready. The rental car was packed with both Derek's and Casey's bags and the tank was full of gas. Nora and George, though confused, had accepted Casey's announcement that she would join Derek as he went back off to his tour. Edwin and Lizzie had surprised Derek and Casey with a brand new camera for their trips together, and Marti had made them both farewell cards.

After a few tearful farewells, and many group hugs, Derek opened the passenger door for Casey, and she climbed in, waving goodbye to her family. Derek hopped in the front seat and backed out of the driveway. They were on their way, ready to start their life together, away from their family.

Away from being step-siblings and toward being a couple.

Away from a dull and ordinary high school life and toward a life of music and stardom.

Toward a life full of each other and music and friendship and love and adventure.

On tour. Together.


End file.
